How Chocolate Can Change People's Moods

Many people develop an appetite for chocolate and do not know why. They only know they get cravings before the onset of their menstrual period, during pregnancy or whenever they feel sad. Without realizing it, chocolate consumption during these specific times elevates the mood. Understanding chocolate-induced mood elevation poses a dilemma to clinical researchers, however, because it activates the activity of many different neurotransmitters in the brain.

Dopamine Affectation

• A study of "Mood State Effects of Chocolate" published in the Journal of Affective Disorders attributes cravings for chocolate to the brain's dopamine neurotransmitter receptors. Chocolate acts in much the same way as cocaine in that it increases dopamine and creates feelings of euphoria. Dopamine receptors create cravings for chocolate and produce feelings and moods of anticipation in chocolate lovers. Once chocolate is eaten, receptors and cravings are satisfied and mood switches from anticipation to a euphoric elevation.

Serotonin Uptake

• Serotonin is another neurotransmitter in the brain that directly affects mood. Many anti-depressants are classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that help balance the brain's serotonin levels. "Mood State Effects of Chocolate" explains that while some chocolate cravings may be induced by dopamine receptors, other cravings may be the result of deficient serotonin levels. The carbohydrate levels in chocolate increase amino acids in the bloodstream, which in turn stimulate the production of tryptophan that converts to serotonin. A contradicting argument to the serotonin uptake theory is that the fat content of chocolate slows the absorption of chocolate's carbohydrates essential to serotonin uptake.

Opioid Craving

• "Mood State Effects of Chocolate" explains that some chocolate carbohydrate-associated cravings are not linked with a serotonin deficiency, but are instead an opioid craving. The brain releases opioids in response to sweet tastes that in turn elicit the generation of beta-endorphins from a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The beta-endorphin literally produces a pain-killing effect, making sweets useful during painful procedures on infants. In addition, opioid-induced carbohydrate-based chocolate cravings can be attributed to certain conditions that naturally produce decreased endogenous opioid peptide levels in the blood. Some of these conditions include pregnancy, alcoholism, menstrual cycling and eating disorders.

Sensory Gratification

• Eating chocolate provides a lot of pleasurable sensory feedback. Most chocolate tastes sweet and smells aromatic. It can be considered a comfort food and, therefore, changes mood by satisfying a pleasure principle of sensory gratification. Similar to dopamine-induced cravings, sensory stimulation, or just the sight and smell of chocolate, produces anticipation for it. According to "Mood State Effects of Chocolate," the sensory gratification theory is proven when comparing cravings for white chocolate and unsweet chocolate with that of milk chocolate. The former do not produce appetite cravings like milk chocolate does.