OnePoll recently conducted a survey on behalf of Noom that revealed how important the act of cooking and eating meals are to seven out of ten Americans.
The study involved 2,000 individuals who cook regularly and found that an incredible 80% turn to food for comfort after a stressful day. Furthermore, 65% use it as a means to console themselves and others at the same time.
Food for Comfort: The Reigning Monarchs of Pizza and Ice-cream
Some comfort foods are favored over others when seeking solace. For 34% of respondents, ice cream is the go-to comfort food with pizza coming in second at 31%.
Also, pasta (24%), burgers (22%), grilled cheese sandwiches (19%) were among the most preferred choices for comfort dishes.
Cooking as a Therapeutic Escape and the Top Stress Relieving Activity
It was discovered from the study that cooking is seen as being very calming by a huge chunk of participants which amounts to about seventy-eight percent.
Surprisingly enough though, stress relieving activity is mainly attributed towards cooking since sixty five percent choose it over other means like cleaning up houses or doing laundry among many others.
Factors Causing Stress at the End of the Day and How to Cope with Them
At the end of each day ninety percent experience some sort of level(s) related with tension due mainly because one’s profession (40%).
Long list things needed to be done before next day morning (32%) or obligations involving close friends or family members such as birthday parties etc., called social commitments (28%).
Eighty nine percent recognize importance mental well-being while another eighty-one per cent actively work towards having anxiety free nights before bedtime.
Mental Health and Reflective Tasks
Four out five people engage in reflective tasks for pleasure rather than just stress reduction.
These include cooking (80%), cleaning up housework like shoveling snow off roofs etc., folding clothes at laundromat 41%, gardening 39% and folding laundry as well 34%.
This shows how stress can be managed through daily routines that bring joy into one’s life.
The therapeutic nature of cooking was highlighted by Dr. Andreas Michaelides, Chief of Psychology at Noom; who described it as a means for focused reflection leading to positive nourishing experiences thus resulting contentedness.
Musical Stress-Relief Techniques: From Groovy Sounds to Comfort Foods
According to the participants several techniques proved helpful in managing pressures such as listening to music (35%), watching television programs (34%).
Taking baths or showers (34%), having favorite dishes prepared by others (23%) and self-cooking sessions too (21%).
Social media was also seen playing a role here with twenty percent seeking help through these platforms.
While cooking videos were found beneficial for mental health eighty five percent chose it out followed by animal videos seventy six percent then music videos with seventy two percent.
How Food Media Affects Relaxation
Food-related media which includes cooking shows and videos were reported to be calming by two-thirds (65%) of respondents.
Interestingly enough about thirty thirds stated they would always watch something related or containing foodstuffs like this before going sleep averaging thirteen pieces per week on an average basis.
Personalities that have been Seen on Favorite Food Media
Gordon Ramsey (30%), Guy Fieri (24%), Alton Brown (18%), Uncle Roger (15%) and Matty Matheson (14%) were among the most favored chefs in famous food media personalities list.
Top Ten Things to Do for Stress Relief
Another result from this survey was a list showing top ten things people do when stressed.
The highest ranking being cooking with sixty-five percent, cleaning houses at thirty-one percent followed by gardening at thirty percent, doing laundry twenty-five per cent.
Folding clothes stood out twenty-three per cent, mowing lawns twenty-two per cent, washing dishes twenty percent.
Organizing things also having same result (20%) as household chores like sweeping floors or vacuuming carpets and finally mopping floors that completes the list at nineteen percent.
Cooking and Food: Love Language and Stress Relief
A comprehensive study that has been done highlights the deep connection between cooking, food and stress relief among Americans.
In addition to providing an escape route for therapy through cooking, food related content has also been recognized for its calming effects thus revealing how vital culinary experiences are towards enhancing mental health as well as stress handling abilities on a daily basis.
