The next time you’ve had a less-than-great day, or your mood dips, or you listen to two or more Lewis Capaldi songs in a row, apparently, there’s one simple way to make yourself feel better: by eating a bowl of pasta. That’s the word, according to a study conducted by the Behavioral and Brain Lab at the Free University of Languages and Communication IULM in Milan, Italy. 

For this study, IULM researchers recruited 40 participants between the ages of 25 and 55 years old, measured their physical and neurological changes as they ate pasta, and then compared those responses to the reactions the participants had while listening to their favorite songs or watching a sporting event.