Why don’t we reach for the broccoli and carrots when stress gets the better of us? Instead, it’s bread, chips, takeaways, pizza, juicy burgers, chocolate or a microwave mac and cheese.
Comfort food makes us feel better. Beyond just indulgence, it has become a way of coping. That’s because it is not really about cravings for something sweet or greasy, but rather how the brain and body respond when stress becomes constant and when even basic decisions start to feel like too much effort.
Familiar food is predictable, immediate and requires very little from anyone – almost like a respite or a bit of relief in between the crazy.
Psychologist Praneetha Jugdeo of the South African College of Applied Psychology explained that the behaviour lies at the intersection of biology and emotion.
“Comfort eating is a mix of emotional and biological drives. Biologically, when stress rises, the adrenal glands release cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite and specifically cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods. Cortisol also influences reward pathways in the brain, making sugary or fatty foods feel more satisfying.”
She said this is where many people misjudge what is happening.
“Emotionally, people eat to soothe anxiety, sadness, or frustration, using food as a form of self-soothing. So, it’s not purely biology, it is interacting with emotions, where cortisol can amplify emotional eating tendencies.”
It’s about emotion
Under pressure, she said, the brain looks for what is famaliar rather than what is sparkly and new. This explains why people fall back on nostalgic foods instead of healthier options.
“When stressed, the brain seeks predictable comfort. Familiar foods trigger memories of safety and childhood, which can reduce the emotional load temporarily. Novel foods require more cognitive effort to evaluate, whereas familiar foods provide instant gratification with no mental cost.
“Psychologically, this is a shortcut: the brain says, ‘this worked before; it will make me feel better now.’”
Comfort eating is not always about enjoyment on its own, either. Sometimes it is about stopping something unpleasant.
Jugdeo shared that food is often used to interrupt emotional discomfort rather than to create pleasure.
“It’s often both, but in stressful situations, it tends to be more about emotion regulation. People eat to interrupt uncomfortable feelings like anxiety or loneliness rather than purely for pleasure. That said, pleasure is a strong secondary factor, the dopamine surge from tasty foods reinforces the behaviour, making it a reliable emotional escape.”
The brain learns quickly, she noted. If something softens the edge of a difficult feeling, even briefly, it becomes a go-to response.
Does it takes the edge off?
Stress, exhaustion and lack of sleep also influences someone’s state of being.
“Decision fatigue occurs when the brain’s executive functions are exhausted from too many choices or stress,” Jugdeo said.
“This lowers self-control and makes impulsive eating more likely, especially for foods that are calorie-dense and immediately rewarding.”
In that state, food is not a carefully considered decision. It is the easiest option available, taken at a point where there is little capacity left to weigh alternatives.
There is also a strong link to control and how comfort food delivers a sense of that when other parts of life feel unstable.
“Choosing what and when to eat is a small but tangible way to reclaim agency,” Jugdeo said. Psychologically, this is powerful because control is a fundamental human need, and during chaos, even small controllable actions can reduce stress and anxiety.”
