When we feel down, we find ourselves craving for candy or chocolate, thinking that it will cure our mental state. However, when we are really happy, we don’t feel the need to intake any high-calorie snacks, and we just stick to our usual healthy lifestyle. Why do you think our craving system works this way?
Based on my experience, whenever i eat chocolate i somehow end up in a happier state. So, yes. I do think there is a close-knit correlation between the nutrients taken by the body. There’s proof that shows that this is true, so it’s not a basic myth that we create and forget over time.
A study carried out the by American in the late 90s has shown that chocolate caused the local citizens to release endorphins in their brains, making them feel cheered and happy.
This study has later on found out that chocolate contains a number of compounds associated with mood-lifting chemicals in the brain. Tryptophan is an amino acid present in small quantities in chocolate, is linked to the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that produces feelings of happiness and is the main ingredient in “feeling happy”. This compound is also found in tea and coffee, but studies have shown that chocolate is the richest source to have contain this amino acid.
Although many of us may feel the instant effect of chocolate, some scientists say it’s just psychological because most of the compounds are present only in small quantities in chocolate and that they are probably almost entirely digested before they reach the brain. So, we might say that the endorphin hormones being released is just a time taking process and that we might be on the psychological side of eating chocolate to “feel happy”.