Science knows the exact amount of chocolate to eat to be happy

Chocolate makes us happy. It is popular, everyone knows it, and it is not prophecy. It is enough to smell it or talk about it and our mood changes. And this is because science assures us that it connects with certain molecules we produce, endorphins (the so-called "happiness hormones") and serotonin, and then they generate a sensation of well-being, pleasure, and emotional relaxation.

Chocolate connects with the natural molecules our body produces and, consequently, makes them increase, because it has a similar structure to these molecules. In other words, since our body recognizes what it eats, it increases the production of molecules that stimulate pleasant effects and well-being. And it does so almost immediately, just as some other illegal substances like opium also do.

The good news about all this is not to confirm that chocolate is joy, but that large quantities of intake are not needed for us to generate endorphins. “Just twenty grams of chocolate, preferably dark, is enough to achieve this”, states Josep Antoni Tur, professor of physiology at the Department of Fundamental Biology and Health Sciences at the University of the Balearic Islands, who adds that no matter how sad we feel on a given day, and we want to turn things around, eating a whole bar will not cause us more joy.

Fight against aging

Since we have good news, we continue with the benefits of twenty grams of dark chocolate, because they make us feel good in every way. They have an antioxidant function, which means they protect us against free radicals, the culprits for our cells aging daily. If they age, it's due to bad dietary habits, as well as stress, alcohol, tobacco, or even excessive sports exercise. That's why antioxidant foods play such an important role, because they mitigate them. So, ingesting twenty grams daily, in the proportion we mentioned, is also fighting against aging. Another nutritional benefit we achieve with intake is increasing the elasticity of blood vessels, and this means reducing blood pressure.

However, with chocolate there's a flip side we must mention: the addiction that intake can create. That idea that you need chocolate to be happy also has a scientific basis, as nutritionist Anna Costa states. "On one hand, there are phenylethylamine and anandamide as culprits for physiological dependence on cocoa and its derivatives, such as chocolate," says Costa, who explains that the two molecules act on the brain and regulate mood. The body produces them, and they are also found in chocolate. On the other hand, we have two other culprits: magnesium and theobromine. The first stabilizes blood glucose levels; the second stimulates the nervous system. So, if you are one of those who think you can't live without chocolate, blame these four: phenylethylamine, anandamide, magnesium, and theobromine.

For all these reasons we have mentioned, choosing dark chocolate is a good option. Furthermore, the more cocoa, the less added sugar and, therefore, the healthier for the entire organism. "In Catalonia, the pioneers in promoting the trend of chocolate with more cocoa were the chocolatiers of Valrhona, who in 1986 created the product Guanaja, which they presented as the most bitter chocolate in the world and had 70% cocoa," recalls chocolatier Enric Rovira, who concludes that "until the 80s, chocolates with such a high cocoa content had never been made."