High-calorie foods such as meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes can be harmful to your diet and overall health, but psychologists suggest they can partially counteract negative effects by making eaters feel better.

UPI relays the results of a study published in Psychological Science, which says the comfort foods remind people of those whom they’re close to, and the connection can make munching on the guilty pleasures improve mental health.

The study didn’t involve eating, but was centered around an experiment meant to make participants feel lonely. Findings showed those who were secure in their relationships felt less lonely when they wrote about comfort food.

Said the lead author of the study, a grad student at the University of Buffalo:

“Throughout everyone’s daily lives they experience stress, often associated with our connections with others. Comfort food can serve as a ready-made, easy resource for remedying a sense of loneliness.”

Which comfort food most boosts your mental well-being?

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes fight loneliness [UPI via Fark]

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