38. Comfort Food | Why Certain Foods Feel Like Home

Send us Fan MailWhy does one person crave rice, another mashed potatoes, and someone else a very specific brand of instant noodles they have not eaten since university?In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores the science and psychology of comfort food. From dopamine and smell to memory, stress, familiarity, and culture, I look at why certain foods have the remarkable ability to make us feel better.Along the way, there is the Proust effect, the neuroscience of anticipation, why comfort foods differ across cultures yet serve the same emotional purpose, and what happens in the brain when we reach for familiar foods during times of stress or uncertainty.There is also a detour through some of the stranger stories in food history, from the invention of the Graham cracker to bacon on the moon, and a look at why food has always been about more than nutrition alone.At its heart, this episode is about familiarity. The foods we return to, the meanings we attach to them, and why certain meals can feel like home long after we have left the places they came from.Because comfort food is rarely just about what is on the plate. It is about what it represents, what it remembers, and what it helps us find again.This episode is for anyone who has ever stood in front of an open fridge at midnight. Which is to say, everyone.REFERENCES1.Smell, memory, and the brain’s bypass of the thalamus — Harvard Medicine Magazine: https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/connections-between-smell-memory-and-health2.Food-related odours and dopaminergic brain activation — Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00625/full3.Smell and memory pathway (bypassing the thalamus) — Cleveland Clinic: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/smells-and-memory4.Flavour preferences formed via amniotic fluid and breast milk — BookPage / The Secret History of Food: https://www.bookpage.com/behind-the-book/26562-top-12-weirdest-moments-food-history-history/The neuroscience of comfort food and individual variation (Yale) — BrainFacts.org: https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/diet-and-lifestyle/2023/why-cant-we-resist-comfort-food-0801236.Cortisol, stress, and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods — Time Out: https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-science-behind-why-comfort-food-is-actually-a-thing-1226207.Graham cracker history and ketchup/tomato history — LoveFood: https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/128759/killer-tomatoes-and-other-strange-historic-food-facts8.Apollo 11 freeze-dried bacon — Instacart Food Facts: https://www.instacart.com/company/ideas/food-facts9.Chicken soup, neutrophils, and anti-inflammatory effects — The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/does-chicken-soup-really-help-when-youre-sick-a-nutrition-specialist-explains-whats-behind-the-beloved-comfort-food-21384710.Comfort food around the world — Diversity Plus: https://diversityplus.com/web/Article.aspx?id=Finding-Comfort-in-Food-Around-the-Globe-5544Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.