Many people may see ice cream as the perfect mood-lifter, but a recent study in Health Psychology claims that “comfort foods” aren't really comforting at all. “Results showed that there were no significant effects of food type (including comfort, non-comfort, and neutral foods) on mood, suggesting that participants' supposedly soothing snacks didn't actually make them any less sad, anxious, or scared.”
But---here's what makes this study dubious--the participants' reactions were based on watching an 18 min film clip, combining scary, creepy and anxiety-inducing content.
It's real life occurrences--job loss, breakups-- that drive us back to comfort foods such Auntie's noodles or Mom's mashed spuds, NOT scenes from movies.
Read more. (EH)