Infographic: How Ice Cream Makes You Feel
Seasonal depression affects 5% of the United States population each year. Many people find themselves in a rut when the weather gets warmer and then again when it starts to get cooler. But there is something sweet that may actually be able to cheer that 5% of people up. And it’s probably sitting in your freezer as you’re reading this.
Unfortunately, ice cream isn't an antidepressant in the medical sense, but it does make you feel good. So how exactly does ice cream affect your mood?
Have you ever watched a rom-com and noticed that when the female lead is going through a heartbreak, she sits on her couch in her pajamas sobbing? She was probably also eating ice cream by the gallon with a spoon. You may have found this to be stereotypical, but there’s actually a reason why the directors and producers choose to include a tub of ice cream. Ice cream has been found to make people happy! Researchers say the sweet treat has an immediate effect on the orbitofrontal cortex. That’s the part of the brain that activates when people are having fun and enjoying themselves.
Because ice cream is used to cheer people up, it’s one of the best-selling treats in the United States. Although, it’s actually not the most popular. Ice cream falls in second place immediately after cookies.
Want to know something crazy and maybe extremely surprising? The average U.S. resident will eat at least 48 pints of ice cream each year. That’s a lot of ice cream, but not shocking when you think about how much ice cream sits in someone’s freezer at any given moment.
If you took some time to look at every American’s freezer, you would notice that about 87% of them have some form of ice cream inside. So, do you have any ice cream in your freezer at home right now?
Unfortunately, ice cream isn't an antidepressant in the medical sense, but it does make you feel good. So how exactly does ice cream affect your mood?
Have you ever watched a rom-com and noticed that when the female lead is going through a heartbreak, she sits on her couch in her pajamas sobbing? She was probably also eating ice cream by the gallon with a spoon. You may have found this to be stereotypical, but there’s actually a reason why the directors and producers choose to include a tub of ice cream. Ice cream has been found to make people happy! Researchers say the sweet treat has an immediate effect on the orbitofrontal cortex. That’s the part of the brain that activates when people are having fun and enjoying themselves.
Because ice cream is used to cheer people up, it’s one of the best-selling treats in the United States. Although, it’s actually not the most popular. Ice cream falls in second place immediately after cookies.
Want to know something crazy and maybe extremely surprising? The average U.S. resident will eat at least 48 pints of ice cream each year. That’s a lot of ice cream, but not shocking when you think about how much ice cream sits in someone’s freezer at any given moment.
If you took some time to look at every American’s freezer, you would notice that about 87% of them have some form of ice cream inside. So, do you have any ice cream in your freezer at home right now?
