{"id":83354,"date":"2023-11-14T12:57:36","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T12:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=83354"},"modified":"2023-11-14T12:57:36","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T12:57:36","slug":"science-says-eating-chocolate-makes-us-happier","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/science-says-eating-chocolate-makes-us-happier\/","title":{"rendered":"Science Says Eating Chocolate Makes Us Happier"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignfull-width wp-image-12932 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/02\/BG-Summerlin-chocolate-souffle-3-@SamAbrams.jpg\" alt=\"Wolfgang Puck\" width=\"5107\" height=\"3648\" data-gz_credit=\"Sam Abrams, Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Three out of four Americans claim to regularly consume chocolate (with women and young people under 34 being among the most avid consumers): after all, it has always been <strong>one of the world&#8217;s favorite comfort foods,<\/strong> especially in colder months, to indulge in a treat when the weather becomes sharper or &#8211; for the more weather-sensitive &#8211; to lift the mood lowered by the shortening days.<\/p>\n<p>And they are right: according to research conducted by <em>Deliveroo<\/em> in collaboration with <em>SWG<\/em>, more <strong>habitual consumers have more hope and are happier.<\/strong> Meanwhile, those who do not consume it feel more anger and disgust.<\/p>\n<h1>How Does Chocolate Benefit Mood and Health?<\/h1>\n<p>Dr. Michelangelo Giampietro &#8211; Specialist in Food Science &#8211; commented: <em>&#8220;The <strong>sense of gratification and fulfillment,<\/strong> and therefore psychological well-being, that one experiences when regularly, but always in moderation, indulging in good chocolate, is partly due to some compounds found in cocoa (such as theobromine, phenylethylamine, anandamide, etc.).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>These components are attributed to t<strong>he ability to improve the subjective perception of well-being and pleasure,<\/strong> mood, and cognitive functions, precisely because of their effect on neurotransmitters such as serotonin and endorphins.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Moreover, the sweet component, in general, generates a <strong>sense of well-being,<\/strong> <strong>bringing us back to childhood memories.&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>And not only that: cocoa is also rich in flavanols, plant chemicals excellent for health due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-free radical properties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The darker the chocolate, the more cocoa it contains, and the greater the benefits for the body.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Various studies have shown that dark chocolate offers a range of benefits that, when combined, help protect the body from cardiovascular diseases, have a positive effect on <strong>reducing blood pressure, improve sleep, and somewhat surprisingly, contribute to having beautiful skin.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vitamins and minerals such as copper, iron, magnesium, and manganese, in fact, are a boon for our skin. Luckily, dark chocolate is rich in them.<\/p>\n<p>Manganese, for example, supports the production of collagen, a protein that helps keep the skin young and healthy. Not bad, right?<\/p>\n<p>If you needed an excuse to bite into a piece of chocolate, we&#8217;ve given it to you!<\/p>\n<p>**<a href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/chocolate-for-good-health\/\">Why You Should Be Eating More Chocolate (No, Seriously)<\/a>**<\/p>\n<p>**<a href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/12-healthy-snacks-at-all-times\/\">12 Healthy Snacks To Have With You At All Times<\/a>**<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42690,"featured_media":12932,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[8055,8054,6939,16,2723],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v20.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Science Says Eating Chocolate Makes Us Happier - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Research confirms that those who regularly eat chocolate are generally happier. 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