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Cardiff University has just been awarded a €2 million grant from the European Research Council to study self-control – and specifically how that relates to eating behaviour and obesity. The University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre - CUBRIC - is embarking on a five year project that aims to understand the psychology and neurobiology of over-eating and develop mental techniques to help people put brakes on their consumption.

So this week’s Science Café explores the science of addiction and self-control. Whether it’s eating, drinking, shopping or gambling, some people know when enough is enough while others just can’t seem to stop. Adam asks why some people fall into addiction while others manage to resist their impulses. Is it about their brain chemistry?Ìý Is it genetic? Or is it about family and social influences?

Adam is joined by Prof. Chris Chambers from Cardiff University who’s leading the CUBRIC study of self-control and obesity; by Cambridge University neuropsychiatrist Dr. Valerie Voon who researches the neurobiology of addiction; and by Dr. Abi Rose from the University of Liverpool Addiction Group who studies alcohol consumption.

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