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Mood state effects of chocolate
Gordon Parker1, Isabella Parker, Heather Brotchie
1School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia. g.parker@unsw.edu.au
Journal of Affective Disorders
|March 21, 2006
Summary
Chocolate may offer temporary mood benefits by satisfying cravings, but it can prolong negative moods when used for emotional eating. Any mood improvements from chocolate are short-lived.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Chocolate consumption is widely linked to pleasure and enjoyment.
- Popular beliefs attribute stimulant, relaxant, euphoric, aphrodisiac, tonic, and antidepressant properties to chocolate.
- The purported antidepressant effects of chocolate prompted this review.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review chocolate's properties and hypotheses regarding its mood-altering effects.
- To differentiate between food craving and emotional eating.
- To examine how chocolate's effects align with these concepts.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of chocolate's psycho-physiological effects.
- Analysis of hypotheses concerning mood alteration.
- Distinction between food craving and emotional eating behaviors.
Main Results:
- Chocolate can provide hedonic reward by fulfilling cravings.
- Using chocolate for emotional eating may prolong dysphoric moods.
- The mood benefits derived from chocolate consumption are transient.
Conclusions:
- This review explores chocolate's potential as an antidepressant self-medication strategy.
- The mechanisms underlying chocolate's mood effects are examined.
- Mood benefits associated with chocolate are temporary.