Mood Self‐Verification Relates to the Selection and Intake Frequency of Comfort Foods

Objective Based on a comfort food choice framework that emphasizes physiological and psychological needs, it is examined whether the foods people claim they eat for “comfort” may have unknowingly been selected to verify their mood (mood self verification). Research Methods and Procedures Clinical eating records (diaries and interviews) of obese individuals were combined with results of three focus groups to better understand the relationship between mood and the consumption of what individuals referred to as “comfort foods.” Comfort foods are defined as providing a dimension of psychological and physiological comfort when consumed. Based on the most commonly experienced moods and the most commonly eaten comfort foods, a phone survey of 1,002 individuals was conducted to determine which foods were most likely to be consumed under various mood states. Results Both positive and negative moods stimulate the consumption of comfort foods similarly across both obese and non‐obese individuals. Importantly, however, positive moods were robustly associated with the consumption of more nutritive foods while negative moods were associated with the consumption of less nutritive foods. Females, in comparison to males and younger adults, in comparison with older adults, more frequently consumed comfort foods in negative mood states. Conclusion When selecting comfort foods, obese and non‐obese people alike appear to consume foods that match their mood. Specifically, weight loss strategies that generate negative moods for noncompliance may exacerbate weight problems by stimulating the overeating of less‐nutritive comfort foods. Women and younger people seem particularly vulnerable to this process. Research supported by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab