By: Karolina Starczak

Oct 21, 2009

When it comes to cravings, chocolate is king. Nothing hits the spot like that melt-in-your mouth rich flavor flooding every taste bud with a velvety, luscious coating. Not that indulging is really our fault, it’s our fluctuating hormones right? Eh... maybe not. According to this month’s issue of Appetite, chocolate cravings are only 13.4 percent lower in women after menopause, making the PMS hormone theory obsolete.

In the study, 280 pre- and post-menopausal women answered anonymous surveys that included questions about their chocolate cravings. With 76.8 percent of post-menopausal women and 90.2 percent of premenopausal women reporting chocolate cravings, the appeal of chocolate goes way beyond hormones. In fact, another study found that “Chocolate is the most commonly and intensely craved food in North America”. So why does chocolate have such a strong hold on us?

Many self-proclaimed chocoholics would say that chocolate is just downright addictive. Unfortunately even though chocolate has a handful of ingredients that can affect mental processes, the amounts are too small to have an addictive effect. Although chocolate rehab does sound kind of delicious.

While M&Ms may not be addictive, they do have an effect on our emotions. In one study, thirty-seven German women consumed a chocolate bar, an apple, or nothing and reported their emotional states. When compared to the apple, chocolate was found to elevate mood and increase joy. Researchers believe that the positive feelings come from the pleasure we experience with our senses while eating chocolate.

The initial positive feelings may sound great, but the happiness doesn’t last. Moments after consumption, women reported experiencing guilt and negative thoughts. This means that within minutes we go from, “This is sooo good,” to “Ugh, why did I eat that?” This guilt-stricken aftermath comes from our negative associations with chocolate. We may not be able to blame hormones, but we can certainly blame our culture for teaching us to see chocolate as “bad” and “fattening”.

The association between chocolate and body image is so strong that in a study published in European Psychology, media images of different sized models affected participants’ guilt and avoidance of chocolate. When the participants were shown images of thin models, they experienced more guilt and more avoidance of chocolate. Meanwhile, participants that were shown images of plus-sized models had decreased guilt.

There is no clear cut answer as to why chocolate of all things has such a strong influence on our emotions and why we associate it so strongly with body image. At least we know that visiting Hershey Park with Cindy Crawford is probably not a good idea.

What are your thoughts on chocolate and emotions?

More on Chocolate
The Healthiest Way to Eat Chocolate
Walk Off Your Worst Chocolate Cravings
How to Choose the Right Chocolate