Chocolate decoded

Fact or fiction: is chocolate an antidepressant?

Le ChocoBlog24.12.193 min read

Info ou intox : le chocolat, un antidépresseur ?

Have you ever wondered why you love eating chocolate so much when you’re feeling down in the dumps ?

Whether we’ve been dumped or flunked an exam, we’ve all reached for that little square (or that whole bar) of chocolate to make ourselves feel better. And the best part? It works!

According to a 2016 survey carried out at the Salon du Chocolat among 1,977 people (enough to fill La Cigale!): 94.5% of respondents admit that cocoa reduces their anxiety. 😮

And this is where you ask me: “ Hang on, Jamie, how do you explain chocolate’s antidepressant effect? ” 🤓

There have been lots (and that’s putting it mildly) of studies trying to establish a causal link between chocolate and beating the blues. The most popular theories focus on neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitter is the fancy name given to those friendly molecules that allow the brain’s neurons to talk to each other. And where does chocolate come in? It contains neurotransmitters called… phenylethylamine and serotonin ! You probably don’t love their names, but you’ll adore their effects: euphoria, good mood, optimism, stress relief, confidence… And the list goes on!

A lot of ink has been spilled over the benefits of chocolate thanks to these famous neurotransmitters… But you can see where we’re going with this: at Le chocolat des Français, we don’t like telling tall tales. The amount of serotonin in chocolate is about as high as the number of shots stormtroopers actually land in Star Wars. In other words, there’s far too little to trigger any kind of reaction. As for phenylethylamine, it apparently can’t even make it into the bloodstream to travel up to the brain and produce all those lovely effects. To date, no scientific study has established a direct link between these neurotransmitters and chocolate’s antidepressant effects.

So how come, when I eat my chocolate bar, I see life through rose-tinted glasses?

It’s because, as well as being a finely tuned machine, you’re also a sensitive being! What happens when you eat a delicious bar of chocolate?

Before it even reaches your mouth, you look at its colourful wrapper, the gorgeous squares of your bar, you smell that unmistakable cocoa aroma, and… Your mouth is already watering!

All these stimuli tickle our brain, which gets excited (the cheeky thing) and produces endorphins. And endorphins are neurotransmitters too (told you we’d come back to them!). Among other things, they help reduce stress, relax you and keep things moving in your gut (and getting along with your gut is important ☝️).

Ultimately, the effects of the substances in chocolate on the body haven’t been proven (yet?) BUT, yes, chocolate is good for your mood! Especially when it looks good and smells good. Chocolates that let themselves go? No thanks!

Take care of yourselves and treat yourselves to our delicious chocolates!

Sources

Scientific studies: