Americans sought out junk food and booze as election results trickled in
(CNN) As Americans waited and watched election results slowly roll in Tuesday night, many sought ways to soothe their anxieties about the 2020 presidential election.
And their priorities were reflected in these Google searches that reached all-time highs Tuesday night, according to Google Trends:
- Cookies near me
- Chinese food near me
- Liquor stores near me
- Pizza near me
- Burgers near me
- Fries near me
New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose tweeted about a Ben & Jerry's shortage Tuesday night, saying, "Anxiety index: the entire Ben and Jerry's freezer at the grocery store is empty."
Dozens of tweets followed in response, showing photos of empty liquor shelves, freezers packed full of desserts and empty ice cream bowls.
Cravings for food and alcohol during a stressful times are a well-known phenemenon. Foods filled with fat and sugar seem to have a feedback effect that curbs stress-related responses and emotions, according to a Harvard study. The foods seem to counteract stress — and this likely contributes to people's stress-induced cravings.
Americans are also drowning their worries in booze. On Election Day, alcohol delivery company Drizly reported a 68% increase in sales compared with the average of the previous four Tuesdays.
Drizly, which operates in 26 states, said orders were up across the board, but blue state sales were up 75%, while red state sales were up 33%.
