iStockphoto / Grandbrothers
A new study was published this week linking the consumption of french fries and other fried food to depression.
The study sought to learn more about the “correlation between fried food consumption and the risk of anxiety and depression.” And upon being published, the study got dunked on by everyone on the Internet.
The Environmental Sciences study was published in the journal PNAS. What they found was “frequent fried food consumption, especially fried potato consumption, is strongly associated with 12% and 7% higher risk of anxiety and depression, respectively.”
One of the first major media outlets to pick this study up was CNN in an article written by Taylor Nicioli. As you might’ve guessed by now, that article did not go over well with the Internet.
CNN tweeted it out:
French fries — they’re greasy, starchy and a comfort food for many https://t.co/fN1z2VtX8n pic.twitter.com/P4n10Ojbfv
— CNN (@CNN) April 24, 2023
There are 2,000+ quote tweets and thousands of replies, all in defense of fried food.
We’ll get to those replies but for one moment, let’s acknowledge that this study determined a correlation, not causation. It could be just as likely that depression leads individuals to eating comfort food more frequently. The article on CNN mentions this, the study did not.
Here is what people are saying about the ‘french fries = depression’ tweet.
Want to see depression take my fries away.
— Jimmy Conant (@Jimmythevet) April 24, 2023
It’s worth noting now that Twitter amplifies people paying $8/mo all of the visible replies at the top are from people willing to pay Twitter for exposure. So the quality of discourse/replies on Twitter has rapidly changed over the past few days:
Which came first, the depression or the fry.
— ziggs (@sir_ziggs) April 25, 2023
Stop the count:
I need you all to stop researching https://t.co/8apSWHayIl
— Aimun (@bluemagicboxes) April 25, 2023
A lot of people are saying this:
I’d be depressed if I couldn’t have any. 🤦♂️🤷♂️
— Tim Sullivan (@WatchTimTweet) April 24, 2023
A LOT of people in the replies and quote tweets are pointing out that *not eating fries* makes thems sad. Sad does not mean ‘depression’, but withholding a favorite food is no way to live.