Can Dark Chocolate Actually Lift Your Spirit?

Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and girl's nights all call for dark chocolate. It always seems to make you feel a little bit better and has been there for you through breakups and difficult times. One could wonder, "Why?" Why does eating dark chocolate seem to help you feel happier? To learn why consuming dark chocolate instantly improves your mood, continue reading.

Chocolate and Your Brain

There are roughly 300 naturally occurring chemicals in chocolate. Some of them release neurotransmitters, which have an effect on the human brain. These alterations in our brain chemistry are similar to the feelings we have when we are happy. The happy feelings that chocolate makes our brains feel are caused by phenylethylamine.

Phenylethylamine is known as "the love drug" because of how it makes us happier and increases our heart rates. These results are comparable to how we experience love. The other neurotransmitter that gives chocolate its superpower to elevate mood is serotonin. You guessed it: chocolate contains tryptophan, which aids in the release of serotonin. But a lot of neurotransmitters are connected to happiness.

Aspects of Health

Not every type of chocolate is regarded as "healthy." Depending on the quality of the ingredients used, the additives added, and how much of the original cocoa is still in the finished product, dark chocolate is claimed to be healthier than milk chocolate.

Dark chocolate has less sugar and more natural cocoa than milk chocolate. Black chocolate is, therefore, often considered to be healthier than milk chocolate. The majority of white chocolate is formed of carbohydrates and fats, and if popular belief is to be believed, it isn't even chocolate.

Because it typically contains between 35 and 100 percent cocoa and less sugar, dark chocolate tends to taste more bitter. So, we're sorry to deliver the bad news if milk chocolate is your preferred choice. Milk chocolate has been thinned out by milk solids, sugar, and cream. It is perceived as sweet since it has a lot less chocolate in it and has a softer flavor.

Evidence suggests that eating chocolate only elevates your mood when you enjoy it, suggesting that the act of consuming it also has an impact.

Summary

Since studies have shown that dark chocolate improves abstract reasoning, working memory, scanning and tracking, and visual-spatial memory, eating it has also been linked to having a stronger memory.

Going all the way back to the Aztec era, dark chocolate has a long history of improving people's mental states and being used as a technique to reduce stress and feel better. Dark chocolate is here to stay, and as it is consumed more frequently, its effects may be more fully investigated. Maybe it's just something pleasant, but the other health benefits are supported by science.

If you want to lift your spirits, try visiting Lift's website to buy gourmet chocolate online. While you're there, have a look at their other selections of chocolate candy, including special seasonal treats. With so many mouthwatering options, you'll quickly feel upbeat.