The Great Comfort Food Divide

Men go for meals. Women go for snacks.

When you head into the kitchen for some comfort food, do you go for the ice cream or the mac and cheese? Research has shown that women tend to prefer more snack-like comfort foods, while men tend to choose warm, hearty meals. Meals tend to remind men of being taken care of, and women of doing the caretaking—the cooking and cleaning that snacks don’t require.

This doesn’t, of course, make ice cream or candy bars any healthier! But at least now you know why they’re so darn alluring. Knowledge is power when you need to control those diet-busting urges.

MORE: Low-Calorie Snacks