Why are they called comfort foods?

Comfort foods are unconsciously and consciously associated with joyful and pleasant experiences. It is a food that someone was given when they were looked after as a child, for example, and is something that, as adults, people reach for when they feel emotionally threatened. Comfort meals are typically easy to prepare, frequently connected to a previous celebration, and often heavy in sugars or carbs, meaning they are almost always high in calories. Eating particular meals “rewards” people’s brains. There are “hedonic hotspots” in the brain, which are specific subregions that heighten the pleasurable sensation or “liking” of pleasant tastes, such as carbohydrates, fats, and salts. This may cause a dopamine spike, which increases the desire to look for and eat delicious food rewards. As a result, people’s brains may encourage them to seek out and eat specific meals. These foods are associated with joyful and pleasant experiences.