Why Chocolate Makes Us Feel Good + More Food Feelings Facts

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Everyone has a relationship with food.” Whether or not you buy into this philosophy, I’m sure you at least have an opinion about food. Food is more than just fuel. It’s memories, emotions, traditions, and even identity for some. Positive, negative, and even neutral – our experiences with food are deeply personal, shaped by culture, childhood, and even our mental and emotional state.

We’re here to take a deep dive into what it all means. This will be the first in a two-part series of articles on how food makes us feel, the good, the bad, and everything in between. We’re going to talk about the emotions, the cultural significance, the science, how it’s all connected, and share real-life examples of how food affects our lives in nearly every way. Let’s get started and don’t forget to follow along for more articles to come on food feelings and mental health.

Have you ever reached for a piece of chocolate and felt an instant mood boost? First, in case you’re wondering, that’s completely normal. Second, be right back, I need to go grab some M&Ms. Ok, let’s continue. I’ll spare you the full chemistry lesson, but the basic reason so many of us have a love affair with chocolate is that chocolate, along with other foods, can trigger the release of feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. If you’ve been around our blog for a minute, you know that these neurotransmitters play a key role in regulating mood.

This makes certain foods a source of comfort or even a coping mechanism. This is where we get the term “comfort food”. If you ask Google about where this term came from, you’ll get everything from Don Quixote to the Civil War. If you ask me, it’s a plate of biscuits and gravy, with a steaming hot cup of coffee, and a splash of cream. Whatever comfort food means to you, science universally agrees that the reason comfort food comforts us is because it’s generally high in sugars, starches, fat, and salt. These things are delicious! They all cause the pleasure and reward centers in our brains to light up like the Vegas strip.

Brené Brown once said, “We are the most addicted, medicated, obese, and in-debt adult cohort in human history.” This speaks to the way many of us use food—not just for nourishment, but for soothing, numbing, and distraction. Comfort foods can sometimes affect the brain similar to how certain substances influence people dealing with addiction, offering moments of comfort or relief. Just like everything else though, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, in moderation. We’ll get into how food can also be tied to negative emotions—used as a reward or a punishment, leading to cycles of restriction and overindulgence.

Food as a Positive

Food is woven into the fabric of our lives, and I don’t just mean because we need to, you know survive. It’s how we celebrate, mourn, and connect with others. For many, food is deeply tied to cultural identity—recipes passed down through generations hold more than just flavors and ingredients; they hold history. Making grandma’s fudge every Christmas isn’t just about the chocolate. It’s remembering Granny. It’s sharing the stories of stirring and licking the spoon with your cousins as a kid. It’s remembering how you learned at a young age about the joys of generosity and giving when Granny gave tins full of the delicious treats to everyone she knew. We all have stories like this. Whether it’s a certain meal, recipe, or a restaurant, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t get sentimental about some type of food.

Food as a Negative

At the same time, strict food rules can take away the joy that food is meant to bring. While we all likely have some sentimental attachment to food, too many of us also have negative memories as well. In a world where “thin is in” and body shaming is the norm, it’s easy to build a negative relationship with food. The term body dysmorphic disorder didn’t appear in the DSM III-R until 1987, but I can guarantee you that there were plenty of people, men just as well as women, who had body image and self-esteem issues before then. The latest edition of the DSM5 lists 12 types of eating disorders, along with subtypes within each of those. At least 9% of people in the world are affected by some sort of diagnosable eating disorder, although many experts agree that it’s closer to 90% of people who are affected by disordered eating, a subtle but important difference that we’ll touch on more in our next article. 

We could get a lot deeper here, talking about attachment styles, guilt and shame, and all sorts of trauma. This is a topic that so many people struggle with, so much. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, you likely know someone who has. For the purposes of this article, we’ll try and keep this brief, but we will continue this topic in articles to come. Sometimes parents pass on their body image issues to their kids. This can be a mother telling her daughter that she can’t wear this or that because her body isn’t the right shape or that she shouldn’t eat that extra slice of cake, because “a moment on the lips, forever on the hips.” It can also be the brutal teenage years. Did you develop too early or too late? Were you bigger or smaller than your peers? If you didn’t look like the ideal picture of a teenager during your formative years, and you didn’t have someone to help nurture your healthy relationship with food, this could have set the stage for a lifetime of struggle.

Beyond emotions, food has a direct impact on brain function and mental health. Micronutrients like magnesium, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids play essential roles in cognitive function and mood regulation. Meanwhile, processed foods high in sugar and trans fats can contribute to inflammation, which has been linked to anxiety and depression.

The gut-brain axis is another key factor. The digestive system and brain communicate constantly, meaning what we eat affects not just our body but our mental well-being. You know when you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach that something might be wrong, or have you ever gotten butterflies when you’re nervous, even if it’s a good feeling? More times than not, you should trust your instincts. They’re rarely wrong. According to Harvard Health, multiple studies have found that when treating digestive issues, psychologically based approaches lead to greater improvement when compared to conventional medical treatment. We also spoke with award-winning Scottsdale naturopathic doctor Shawna Eischens about this. She agrees that “Given the profound connection between the gut and brain, it is not uncommon for patients to experience brain fog, irritability, fatigue, and diminished mental clarity for hours or even days after consuming sugar, alcohol, processed foods, or dietary intolerances.” In short, when our bodies don’t feel good, our minds don’t either.

Viewing food through an all-or-nothing lens—whether it’s labeling foods as “good” or “bad” or restricting entire food groups—can create stress rather than balance. The key to a healthy relationship with food is flexibility. Strict rules can backfire, leading to guilt and stress around eating. Instead of viewing food as the enemy or a source of control, it helps to see it on a spectrum—some foods nourish the body, some nourish the soul, and both are important.

We all need food. That’s a simple fact. Every living creature must eat. Cats, dogs, birds, plants…you and me, we all have to eat. Why not make it a pleasant experience? It’s just like sleeping. We wouldn’t sleep on itchy sheets if we didn’t have to, so why would we make ourselves uncomfortable with food? There is a lot of food out there. Rather than chasing a perfect diet, consider how food makes you feel. Does it give you energy? Does it cause discomfort? Does it bring you joy? When we shift the focus from restriction to curiosity, we create space for a healthier, more balanced relationship with food.

Food is personal. It holds stories, emotions, memories, and even healing properties. While chocolate and comfort foods can make us feel good at the moment, so can nutrient-rich foods that support long-term mental and physical well-being. By understanding how different foods impact us chemically and emotionally, we can make choices that not only satisfy our cravings but also support our overall health. So next time you reach for your favorite comfort food, do it with awareness and appreciation—because food is meant to be enjoyed, not feared. We get into more about awareness and curiosity versus judgment in our next article. So, check don’t forget to check that one out, too.

In the meantime, if you’re struggling with your relationship with food, we’re here to help. While we may not be nutritionists or dietitians, we understand how deeply food habits—especially those tied to false reward systems and limiting beliefs—can impact mental health and get in the way of achieving a balanced eating plan. Our therapists are here to support you in navigating these patterns, while working to foster a healthier relationship with food. Reach out today to speak with one of our therapists, either in our Scottsdale office or online in Arizona.