Dear Sue:

What effect does chocolate have on mood? I hope a positive one! Thanks,
-- M. Dufour

Dear M. Dufour:

You're in luck, it is a positive one! Chocolate is full of mood-enhancing chemicals. To start with, it is loaded with sugar, which is a carbohydrate and triggers the release of seratonin. Chocolate also contains fat, which in itself provides a feeling of satisfaction since it answers the urge for calories. Chocolate is also said to have the same mood-enhancing chemical that is found in marijuana, although in much smaller quantities.

To test the theory that chocolate enhances mood, a study was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania. Students who felt the urge to eat chocolate were given either:

1. milk chocolate,
2. white chocolate (which contains no cocoa, just cocoa butter and flavoring); or
3. pills containing stimulants found in chocolate.

The findings were predictable .... The pill didn't do the trick, but both the white and milk chocolates did satisfy the students. The results suggest that it is not some secret chemical ingredient in chocolate that provides the euphoria, but the sensory experience ... the taste, the smoothness and the aroma. Perhaps the mood-enhancing chemicals are just the "icing on the cake."

Thanks for your interesting question.

Sue Gilbert

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