Japanese netizens attest to the spiritual power of a meaty dinner and a dairy dessert.

Life can be hard, and sometimes, even for no reason at all, it can really put a damper on our mood. When that happens, you do what works for you to feel better, whether that’s taking medicine, doing yoga, rewarding yourself every day, or treating yourself to some really tasty food.

If you prefer that last option, Japanese netizens can attest to a specific formula that may have actual biochemical effects on your mood. No, it’s not a Snickers (although that’s what they want you to believe); it’s actually beef and ice cream.

Not together, of course; netizens seem to believe that a beefy dinner supplemented by an ice cream dessert really has the power to revive a person’s spirits:

“My husband was in a random bad mood, so I had him eat 300 grams [a little more than a half pound] of beef and then fed him a ton of ice cream. That alone helped him recover. I firmly believe that when you’re feeling down or cranky, eating lots of meat and ice cream will solve about 60 percent of the problem.”

The reasoning, according to the author of the above tweet, @ootoriraku, is that meat and dairy contain tryptophan, which is used in the body’s production of serotonin, the happiness hormone. The calcium in the ice cream also apparently raises your blood sugar, which stabilizes your state of mind.

▼ Looks like this guys needs some beef and ice cream…

@ootoriraku is a preclinical veterinarian, and so may or may not be qualified to make such biological claims. However, a couple of other netizens seemed to agree, and provided additional scientific reasoning as to why meat and ice cream work, though we aren’t qualified to know for certain whether they’re correct or not.

“A drop in blood sugar stimulates the ‘fight or flight’ instinct, so it’s thought that that’s why some people get irritable when they have low blood sugar.”
“Actually, when you’re irritable it’s good to eat fats. Apparently it contains a necessary ingredient for calming hormones.”

It’s not scientific, but one netizen even added that their grandmother used to say that children with full bellies don’t think about getting into trouble, and she was probably right, at least in that they aren’t in the mood to start fights. While they may not know the exact biological reasoning behind it, grandmas generally know best!

▼ Netizens say that yakiniku is a great choice for a mood boost. Some yakiniku restaurants offer all-you-can-eat ice cream, too!

Whatever the reason, according to netizen anecdotes, eating beef and ice cream really does seem to boost your mood when you’re feeling out of sorts. @ootoriraku was the first netizen to bring to light this theory, but the tweet quickly went viral because many netizens found it to be true in their experience as well:

“My wife gets in a really good mood whenever she eats yakiniku! Now that I think about it we usually eat ice cream afterwards too.”
“There’s data that shows that bringing out ice cream calms down arguments in elderly care facilities.”
“If I compare how happy I feel after eating Italian, French, Chinese, and yakiniku and ice cream, yakiniku and ice cream win.”
“In my experience, meat and ice cream will solve 60 percent of the problem. If I hug him and say, ‘Thank you for everything you do’, then 95 percent is taken care of!”
“The mantra in our house is, ‘If you’re sad, eat meat!’ At least while you’re eating yakiniku you can forget about your troubles for a little while.”

Some netizens also attested to the healing power of cheesecake and whipped cream, so it seems like any sugary dairy product will do the trick. In any case, if you’re feeling upset or like you’ve had a bad day, try out this tactic and see if it works for you. We recommend the Kiwami Chagyu Ramen, which comes with 200 grams of Japanese roast beef, and Häagen-Dazs’s new Japanese flavored sorbet ice cream!

Source: Twitter/@ootoriraku via Hachima Kikou
Top Image: Pakutaso
Insert Images: Pakutaso (1, 2)