"Chocolate is deceptive," the girl said, flipping her long blonde hair. "You think it's going to make you feel better, but it doesn't."
Her friend disagreed. "Chocolate is about s'mores when you're camping as a kid," he said dreamily, "and chocolate chip cookies your mom made for you. It has to make you feel better."
Actually, there are chemicals involved. Phenylethylamine, a chemical related to amphetamines which the brain naturally produces when you're in love, is one of the components of chocolate. Similar to adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin, phenylethemine creates general feelings of well-being.
Theobromine is another chemical found in chocolate. Theobromine is a stimulant, like caffeine, but without the effects on the central nervous system that can make some people jittery. Chocolate merely makes people feel more awake and alive.
Anandamide is another chemical found in chocolate, and in the brains of people who are experiencing pleasure. It also seems to have an effect on working memory, which may or may not be comforting.
Tryptophan, an amino acid which relaxes people, is the last of the elements of chocolate that has effects on mood. That chocolate-covered biscotti and the cup of fragrant hot cocoa thus relax and stimulate you, give you pleasure, and make you feel like you're in love.
Part of the comfort of chocolate may be about your associations with chocolate, but part of it is the natural feel-good chemicals.
