The power of comfort food, be it ice cream, artisanal chocolate or Mom’s meatloaf, to cure a bout of the blues may be overrated, says the New York Times, describing a study by University of Minnesota researchers. The study asked 100 people about their favorite foods, exposed them to a montage of sad movie scenes, gave them a mood questionnaire, rewarded them with a snack and then another mood questionnaire. “While they all felt better, there was no appreciable difference among the groups who ate comfort food, other foods or no food at all,” says the Times.
One expert told the newspaper while tasty food may elevate moods, the emotional effect is “shorter than the effect of dense calories in our bodies.” In other words, a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.