SCIENCE: Pea-size brain structure may make beer cravings.

The findings suggest that if you really want a drink right now, the source of your craving may be a pea-sized structure deep inside the right side of your brain.

After tasting the beer the participants reported increased desire to drink beer, whereas the sports drink did not provoke as much desire for beer.

In addition, PET and fMRI brain scans showed that the beer flavor induced more activity in both frontal lobes and in the right ventral striatum of the subjects’ brains than did the sports drink. More specifically, both methods of brain imaging showed increased activity in the right ventral striatum, a deep structure inside the brain that is linked to motivated behavior and reward.

Beer is its own reward. And its own motivation, too.