Get rid of the broccoli, add more cheese, change the noodles to plain macaroni, and THEN you'd have a comfort food. by jestevens
Well, for those of us who turn to ice cream, mac-n-cheese, burgers and fries, or brownies, that's kind of a no-duh conclusion. Some research in an upcoming release of Psychological Science looks into WHY and HOW comfort food soothes feelings of loneliness. But I'm not sure the reasons are valid for everyone.
The research asked a group of people to write about a fight with someone close to them and another group to write about an emotionally neutral topic. Then people in each group were asked to write about a comfort food or a new food. Then, the researchers used a questionnaire to measure their feelings of loneliness.
Writing about a fight with a close person made people feel lonely. But people who were generally secure in their relationships—something that was assessed before the experiment—were able to rescue themselves from loneliness by writing about a comfort food. “We have found that comfort foods are foods which are consistently associated with those close to us,” says Troisi [Jordan Troisi, a graduate student at the University of Buffalo, and lead author on the study]. “Thinking about or consuming these foods later then serves as a reminder of those close others.” In their essays on comfort food, many people wrote about the experience of eating food with family and friends.
In a separate experiment, the researchers also looked at the role of chicken soup as a comfort food, and found that it did remind people of close relationships if they identified it prior to the experiment as a comfort food. In other words, if you attach no special significance to chicken soup, it won't do a thing for your soul.
Troisi worked with Shira Gabriel, University of Buffalo assistant professor of psychology, on the study. Gabriel does research on social surrogates -- non-human things that make people feel like they belong, according to the media release. These include TV shows, celebrities, movie characters, or mementos of loved ones.
What's not addressed in the research is what type of relationship someone has with a relative or someone close. If it's a loving relationship, then perhaps comfort food can remind us of better times with that person. But if the relationship is abusive, and you have a fight or are reminded of a fight with that person, wouldn't you think the comfort food has more to do with coping and escape from that situation, rather than reminding us of a connection?
What's interesting is that people felt better just writing about comfort food. I'll have to give that one a try.
What do you think about this research? How do you use comfort food in your life? And what's your favorite comfort food?
Tagged: Health beat
Comments
jestevens (Jane Stevens) says…
Ok. Karrey Britt just said that her comfort food is steamed broccoli and carrots. Seriously.
kbritt (Karrey Britt) replies…
I really like broccoli and carrots! But, my favorite comfort food depends on the weather. In the winter, it's mashed potatoes or soup. In the summer, it's ice cream — the reduced-fat version, of course.
wmathews (Whitney Mathews) replies…
Broccoli is present in one of my favorite comfort foods: Peanut curry w/ tofu, broccoli and bok choy from Zen Zero.
bhawley (Brenna Hawley) replies…
Broccoli is NEVER a comfort food for me! Mashed potatoes all the way!
AllHeart (Michelle Derusseau) says…
When I am sick I crave comfort food. My favorite comfort food is mashed potatoes! Mashed potatoes with gravy and meatloaf is probably my favorite "comfort meal".
lherring (Laura Herring) says…
I'm a country girl through and through when it comes to comfort food, nothing beats barbecue ribs and fresh corn on the cob!
Marilyn_Hull (Marilyn Hull) says…
Hearty soup severd with Wheatfields bread is the main cold weather comfort meal in our family. We always have it when the kids and their guests are over. So we associate soup with laughter, good times, and family love.