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In moments of stress and sadness, nothing beats a pint of that cookie dough ice cream with coffee liqueur while sitting cozied up under a blanket watching your favorite TV show. But why do people love ice cream so much during times like this?

Eating ice cream makes us happy

When feelings get the best of a person, they resort to emotional eating, which typically involves cravings for creamy and fatty food. In a study, brain scans showed that the activity of the brain becomes altered when introducing fatty food into the stomach. It significantly reduces the brain's response to sadness, which results in an improved mood and reduced hunger.

However, the complexity in the process was found in the preemptive use of fatty solutions to decrease subsequent responses to sadness. But sad stimuli reduced the feeling of fullness from fat ingestion. This was linked to obesity, eating disorders and depression.

In another study, researchers compared the positive effects of ice cream, chocolate and yogurt on people's moods. Interestingly, they found that ice cream enhanced appetitive states in male participants, activating the areas of the brain related to reward and motivation. It also increased gratefulness without resulting in addiction.

The practice of mindful eating

Ice Cream Works CEO Alisha Chona says that mindfully enjoying ice cream further increases its positive effects on mental health. It improves a person's mood and reduces stress. Mindful eating can transform a typically automatic response to stress or sadness into a deliberate and conscious action. It helps establish a healthy relationship with food that improves digestion and prevents a person from overeating.