Why We Love Ice Cream
on Friday, September 15, 2017
It’s quite rare to meet someone without a sweet tooth, even a reluctant one. Americans are known globally for our love of all things sweet and creamy, and ice cream is arguably our favorite sweet creamy treat. From the beloved root beer float to the treasured banana split, we’ve found ways to insert ice cream into all manner of other foodstuffs. Our love for ice cream is so great that we put it in sandwiches, on cakes, in tacos. We brulee it, deep fry it, and truffle it. We can’t get enough. But what is it about ice cream that gets our collective mouths watering?
Plain and simple, it turns out that ice cream, does, in fact, make you happier. Studies done by neuroscientists at the Institute of Psychiatry in London showed that when subjects were observed eating a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the results were an “…immediate effect on parts of the brain known to activate when people enjoy themselves…”
Ice cream (and its first cousin froyo) stimulates pleasure centers in your orbitofrontal cortex, but more than just the simple release of serotonin, ice cream can trigger your sense of memory much in the same way your favorite song would. The feel of the silky blend of sugar and cream against your palate, the waft of vanilla or rich cocoa, the chill it leaves in its wake as it glides past your teeth and tongue; all of these feelings coalesce to create a strong connection between you and ice cream.
For more ice cream fun facts and musings, visit Frenzi Frozen Yogurt’s website today!
