Everyone has heard of comfort food, but what exactly is it, and what effect, if any, does it have on our mood? In this review, I summarize the literature on this important topic, emphasizing the role that comfort foods play in alleviating depression by preparing pleasant memories of previous social interactions, at least among those who are securely connected. There is also evidence of distinct differences in the kind of food that are likely to create comfort nutrition for different sectors of the population. Surprisingly, although the overwhelming majority of people believe that comfort foods improve their mood, solid scientific evidence supporting such statements is rather harder to come by. As a result of these findings, several persuasive characteristics have suggested that the concept of comfort food is nothing more than a mythology. While this may be exaggerating the situation, it is apparent that a number of vulnerabilities exist about if, when, and for whom the use of comfort food provides a mental benefit. This is a bit of a test for all those marketers out there who are still trying to link their products to the appealing concept of comfort food.