Physically, Think about the last time you ate a piece of chocolate. Did it make you happy? The chances are that it did. Chocolate makes people happy because it tastes good and provides a moment’s respite from busy, and often stressed-out, lives. For some, chocolate is a guilty pleasure, and we are firm believers in the old adage that forbidden fruit is always the most satisfying. Just seeing chocolate, or inhaling its wonderful aroma, has quickened the beat of many a chocolate-lover’s heart.
Technically, true explanation for why chocolate makes people happy is chemical in nature. There are over 300 naturally-occurring chemicals in chocolate, and some of them can affect the human brain via the release of particular neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are exactly what they sound like; they send signals back and forth between neurons. Certain neurotransmitters can be responsible for your emotions and the way you feel. Eating chocolate releases several neurotransmitters that have positive effects on human feelings (that is, they make people happy). One of these is phenylethlyamine, which causes alertness and a degree of excitement, quickens the pulse rate, and makes you happy. Phenylethylamine is sometimes called “the love drug”, because it arouses feelings similar to those that occur when one is in love. Another neurotransmitter, serotonin, is a mood-lifter, as well. One chemical that causes the release of serotonin into the brain is tryptophan, found in chocolate.
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