Dr. Kessler’s book The End of Overeating is very thought-provoking. Who would have thought that sugar and salt and fat were conspiring against us? But I think Dr. Kessler missed another piece of the puzzle.

Our noses.

How much stimulation does the average American nose get these days? Think about it. All that time spent in front of televisions, sure. But then there are the computers at home and at work. And those commutes to and from work with the windows rolled up to stop the wind noise that might disrupt your cellphone call, or reduce the fidelity of your music experience, or lower your gas mileage, or mess up your hair, or bring in the exhaust fumes from all the other commuters. Our noses are suffering from a high-tech-induced deprivation!

My theory is that when our noses do get some stimulation, it is likely to be food, so we get an additional, unnaturally high boost of endorphins on top of the fat-sugar-salt effect Dr. Kessler’s book describes.

I have no idea if my theory’s any good, but it makes for a great excuse to open the windows during the slow parts of the commute. Better yet, let’s go for a walk — exercise our legs and our noses. Shall we?