Scientists have discovered why we reach for food for spiritual comfort

We think we eat "comfort foods" for pleasure, but science shows that boredom and the need for mental stimulation are exactly what pushes us to the candy drawer.

Comfort food is consumed around the world and is widely associated with a variety of emotional and mental states. However, the reasons why people eat comfort food are still unknown. A recent study published in Nutrients examined what expectations people have about comfort food and whether these influence their eating behavior.

What is comfort food?

Comfort food is food that provides psychological comfort. Typically, these are snacks such as chips, ice cream, cookies, candy, chocolate, and also dishes such as pizza. Comfort food is often high in calories and has a high sugar and/or fat content, which can be unhealthy.

Research on the emotional benefits of comfort foods remains inconclusive. It shows that some foods are more likely to improve mood after negative events, but the effect may not last long. Interestingly, people who believe that comfort foods help them may feel better just by thinking about them — for example, by looking at a picture or writing down their memories of the comfort food experience. This suggests that outcome expectations play a significant role in the emotional benefits of comfort foods.

Different people may expect comfort foods to work differently. Such differences may also exist between the sexes, as they regulate their emotions differently. Women are more likely to ruminate on problems and try to put them in perspective to cope with their feelings, while men are more likely to blame others and suppress their emotions.

Behavior is also influenced by outcome expectations, usually based on previous experiences, either direct or indirect. People who eat for pleasure or reward tend to overeat during social gatherings and celebrations. In contrast, those who eat to feel better when depressed are more likely to binge.

Expectations for comfort foods may be linked to culture or memories—often from childhood or significant life events—or to the experience of improved mood after eating comfort foods. Physiological bases also exist, such as increased serotonin levels after eating chicken, which is rich in the amino acid tryptophan. However, these biological mechanisms were not directly tested in this study.

Comfort foods may also reduce the activity of neural pathways involved in chronic stress. People may eat comfort foods to reduce stress when performing cognitive tasks or to gain extra energy, as seen in students who eat more before an exam.

However, these findings have not previously been tested in the context of comfort food consumption. The current study tested the hypothesis that people turn to comfort foods because they expect emotional or mental benefits from them.

About the study

The researchers conducted an online survey of 214 people. They were asked to name their main comfort food and indicate how often they ate it over the past two weeks and over the long term. The most commonly mentioned foods were chocolate, crisps and sweet pastries, but the answers varied widely.

The researchers examined feelings associated with comfort food across five expectation subscales:

• Manage Negative Affect
• Pleasurable and Rewarding
• Enhances Cognitive Competence
• Boredom Relief (Alleviates Boredom)
• Positive Feelings.

Research results

For most participants, the primary comfort food was chocolate, followed by chips and sweet baked goods (cakes, donuts). The primary comfort food was usually eaten more frequently, was easier to obtain, or provided comfort in different situations and moods.

Most participants reported eating their staple comfort food at least once in the past two weeks—some as many as 20 times, with a median of two. The most common frequency was “once a month,” with a mean score of 5.8 on a scale of 0 to 9, compared to “several times a week” for all comfort foods.

Most participants expected to benefit from comfort food. They believed that eating comfort food would be “pleasant and rewarding,” or they expected positive emotions. However, these expectations showed little or no statistical relationship with how often participants ate comfort food. In other words, these motives did not actually drive comfort eating behavior, even though people believed they did. This suggests a possible disconnect between participants’ beliefs about comfort food and the actual psychological factors that influence their behavior.

The other three subscales (Boredom Relief, Cognitive Competence Enhancement, and Negative Emotion Management) scored comparatively lower. However, people who ate comfort food to relieve boredom or improve cognitive performance were more likely to eat their primary comfort food. While only those who ate out of boredom were more likely to eat any comfort food.

Regression analysis confirmed that boredom relief expectancies showed the most consistent predictive relationship with comfort food consumption frequency. Expectations regarding increased cognitive competence or managing negative emotions also predicted some aspects of frequency. In contrast, the highest rated expectancy—eating for pleasure and reward—was unrelated to consumption frequency and in one case was negatively related.

The present study found no gender differences in comfort food preferences. However, other studies have shown that women prefer snacks, especially chocolate, while men prefer more substantial meals (pizza, steaks, burgers).

Conclusions

The results show that people eat comfort foods because they expect certain benefits from doing so. These benefits span several areas, including positive reinforcement (pleasure or reward) or the experience of positive emotions.

However, actual frequency of comfort food consumption was more strongly associated with expectations of managing negative emotions, relieving boredom, and enhancing cognitive performance. These factors may reflect attempts to cope with emotional or cognitive stress rather than pleasure seeking.

"These findings may help develop interventions to address unhealthy comfort eating habits."

Future studies should objectively track comfort eating behaviors, perhaps in specific situations, to help predict when it occurs and what expectations shape the behavior. Because this was a correlational study, causal relationships cannot be established. A sample based on the general population would help determine the frequency of comfort eating in general, since the current sample only included people who ate comfort foods with any frequency.