We like chocolate for many different reasons. Some of us would say eating chocolate improves our mood, some might say it's because chocolate is naughty so it's nice. Others would simply say it's the mouthfeel, aroma, taste and texture that makes chocolate hard to resist.
Chocolate contains several compounds which stimulate certain reactions in the body. In particular, chocolate contains caffeine, tyramine and tryptophan which our body converts into feel good chemicals called dopamine and serotonin. Some scientists think that chocolate contains too low a concentration of these substances to fully explain our liking for chocolate.
Dr Peter Rogers, department of experimental biology, University of Bristol, believes that humans like chocolate for a variety of reasons, but the more convincing explanation lies in our mixed feelings towards chocolate - we like chocolate a lot but know that it should be eaten in moderation - the naughty but nice axiom.
Dr Rogers believes chocolates' effects on lifting mood is due mainly to its principle constitutes - sugar and fat - that the combination of these create that aroma and mouthfeel which we crave and dream about.
