Exploring Comfort Food Preferences Across Age and Gender
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The Science of Comfort Foods:
Why Women Prefer Snacks and Men Prefer Meals
When you crave a comfort food do you crave steak or ice cream? An academic article published in the academic journal, Physiology and Behavior, shows comfort foods can consist of both snack-related foods and meal-related foods.
A survey of over 1,000 North Americans conducted by the researchers from the Food and Brand Lab found that America’s favorite comfort foods are: 1. Potato chips (23%), 2. Ice cream (14%), 3. Cookies (12%), 4. Chocolate (11%), 5. Pizza or Pasta (11%), 6. Steak/Burgers (9%), 7. Casseroles (9%), 8. Soup (7%), 9. Vegetables (4%), and 10. Salad (3%).*
But females tend to prefer snack-related comfort foods while males prefer more meal-related comfort foods. In particular, women were more likely to prefer foods like candy and chocolates while men preferred items such as pizza, pasta, steak or casseroles. Yet, regardless of what they ate, women tended to feel less healthy and guiltier than men about their comfort food choices.
Researchers speculate that preference differences among men and women may relate to the notion that the upbringing of men may have conditioned them to prefer hot or labor intensive meals, while women seek convenient comfort foods that require less preparation.
“It’s important to realize that comfort foods can actually be healthy for you,” said Dr. Brian Wansink, lead author and Director of the Food and Brand Lab. “We are seemingly conditioned to prefer certain comfort foods.”
For more information see
Wansink, Brian, Matthew M. Cheney, and Nina Chan (2003), “Exploring Comfort Food Preferences Across Gender and Age,” Physiology and Behavior, 79:4-5, 739-747. To get the published article, click on the link below:
doi:10.1016/S0031-9384(03)00203-8
Contact:
Brian Wansink, PhD
Food and Brand Lab, Director
110 Warren Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Email: foodandbrandlab@cornell.edu
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