Which of the following best illustrates an external eating cue?

• A. Smell of Fresh-Baked Bread
• B. Feeling Fullness in the Stomach
• C. Hunger Pangs
• D. Boredom

Answer: (A)

External eating cues are environmental signals that prompt eating, rather than signals your body generates from inside. The smell of fresh-baked bread fits this idea perfectly: it’s a stimulus in the surroundings that can trigger appetite and eating even if you’re not physiologically hungry.

In contrast, fullness in the stomach is a internal cue signaling satiety, and hunger pangs are internal sensations signaling the need to eat. Boredom can influence eating behavior through emotion or cognition, but it’s not an environmental cue coming from the outside world like a smell or sight of food.