Comfort Food: Nourishing Our Collective Stomachs and Our Collective Minds

Food is a powerful motivator in human functioning--it serves a biological need, as emotional support, and as a cultural symbol. Until recently, the term "comfort food" has been inadequately and unscientifically defined. In addition, the popular media have oversimplified the concept of comfort food as purely unhealthy food, often consumed in moments of stress or sadness. Recent empirical research, detailed within this article, seeks to correct these misrepresentations by describing how comfort food serves as a social surrogate and as a cognitive/emotional representation of others. We discuss these findings with potential course-specific content examples. We also discuss broader teaching implications, highlighting the applicability of comfort food research to virtually every area psychology.