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What do you do when you are having a bad day? How do you get yourself out of a bad mood? Perhaps you go for a run or play some lively music. Maybe you call up a friend or take a bath. Or, according to an unpublished study by the Behavioral and Brain Lab at IULM University in Milan, Italy, you might want to have a bowl of pasta. Yes, noodles, macaroni, pasta or whichever name you like to use for the popular Italian dish. It’s not only delicious, warm and satisfying, it’s science.
Pasta, the food of choice
The study, according to the Martha Stuart website, analyzed 40 participants between the ages of 25 and 55 as they ate pasta. They looked at their heart rate, facial expressions and emotional brain activations. The findings might surprise you, but it seems like pasta really gets people into a better mood. So what is it about pasta that can make you feel better?
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In fact, the actual act of eating, savoring and tasting the pasta causes positive emotions in your body and even creates happy memories, according to Food & Wine. Perhaps this is why it is such a popular food choice at restaurants, parties and events. Or maybe it's a combo of that and the huge variety of dishes you can create with it. Because pasta might just be one of the most versatile foods out there.
The popular Italian food can be made in so many different shapes, sizes, colors and flavors. It’s almost like the sky's the limit! From elbow macaroni, bowties and fettuccine to spaghetti and lasagna, according to Real Simple, there are at least 20 basic types of pasta that everyone should know about. And that’s when talking about preparing it from a bag or box. Preparing it from scratch is a great option too, and doesn’t take that long or necessarily need many special tools. All you need is a few simple ingredients and a bit of love.
Eat pasta to feel good and then eat some more
It turns out that, however it is prepared and whether it's made from a box or from scratch, eating pasta generates positive emotions in a more effective way than going to sport events, according to Delish. Interestingly enough, the study by IULM also found that people enjoy eating pasta when they are happy. Perhaps the next time you are feeling a bit blue, have some pasta. Then when you feel better, have more. And why not? Science says pasta is good for you..
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