Pizza, cheeseburgers, mac and cheese. Comfort food is the yum that makes us feel good — but it’s not ‘just because’. Like ice cream in sitcoms, different foods mean different things to different people.
There is a huge relationship between food and feeling. Comfort food is not really about being hungry, it’s about memory, mood and go-to moments. It’s about meals prepared by caregivers, festive foods tied to celebrations, and dishes linked to cultural traditions that create memories we carry into adulthood.
A review published by researchers at Humanitas University found that these emotional connections are embedded in all of us and can be triggered long before food is actually eaten, sometimes just by smell or sight. Psychologist and medical doctor Dr Jonathan Redelinghuys said the brain sits at the centre of this process. From a behavioural perspective, he said, comfort eating is not simply about fat or carbohydrates.
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Smell and taste are closely linked to the amygdala in the brain and limbic system, which governs emotion and memory. “Foods associated with childhood, home or positive experiences can evoke the same feelings of safety and comfort years later. When people eat in pursuit of those feelings, the pathways between food and emotion become reinforced,” he said.
The neurological explanation goes further. Scientific studies show that foods high in sugar, fat and salt activate the brain’s reward pathways by increasing dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and motivation. Research cited by the American Nutrition and Food Policy Institute showed that when sugar and fat are combined, the reward signal in the brain is even stronger, making certain comfort foods especially desirable.
Stress also plays a significant role. When the body experiences stress, whether emotional or social, it releases cortisol. Cortisol increases appetite and shifts cravings toward energy-dense foods. Studies published by experts at theGarvan Instituteshowed that chronic stress can alter brain reward circuits, encouraging emotional eating even in the absence of physical hunger.
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