Open daily | Book in advance to secure your place
Open daily | Book in advance to secure your place
We’ve all been there. You’ve had a long day at work and you pass by the chocolate aisle on the way home. Or maybe you’re sitting at home on the sofa and the cravings hit. You need a bar of chocolate. Stat. Chocolate makes you happy, there’s no denying it, and these chocolate cravings can be ever-present, and the irresistibility leads to many of us caving and treating ourselves.
You may be surprised, but these cravings are more than just our sweet tooth guiding our decisions. Instead, deeper cultural, biological and psychological factors are at play and to why chocolate makes us happy and why we desire eating it. In this article we’re going to explore the psychology of chocolate cravings, why we may be feeling them, how chocolate makes you happy and if there are any ways to break chocolate’s mighty hold on our psyches.
First, and maybe the simplest, is how advertising and marketing influence our chocolate cravings. We are constantly bombarded by the sheer variety of chocolate products on offer on TV, across social media, and in supermarkets. Advertising can manipulate us to desire chocolate, bringing on chocolate cravings as well as the idea that chocolate will make us happy.
With marketing strategies such as limited editions, seasonal offerings or multipacks, we can be lured into wanting chocolate because we’re told we want it. The Scarcity Effect of limited editions has been extensively studied and analysed, showing the generation of FOMO (the fear of missing out) to be a hugely compelling influence on customer purchases. We feel happy when eating chocolate simply because marketing tells us we will.
Supermarkets are laid out in manipulative ways that present opportunities to hook on our chocolate cravings. Chocolate and sweets are placed purposefully near tills as a last-minute purchasing opportunity, preying on our impulsive natures and a desire for as quick treat to life your mood.
As well as that, with Christmas, Halloween and Easter traditions having been reinforced around chocolate over decades, it’s become more than socially acceptable to buy and eat far more chocolate treats at these times of year. When we enter the winter season, those cravings for chocolate heighten with cultural influences. The cosy nature and nostalgia of these traditions can add to our feelings of joy when eating chocolate
Chocolate, like any food, comes packed with various chemicals that our body uses and metabolises for different outcomes. Chocolate, conveniently, contains powerful chemicals that produce several addictive urges. Put on your lab coats, we’re about to get technical here:
A chemical found in chocolate, phenylethylamine can affect serotonin levels in our brains. What does this mean? Well, serotonin can mimic the effects of being in love, can aid with depression, reduce stress and weight gain. Ultimately, make us happy. Quite the potent chemical.
This chemical affects the brain’s reward system, pain sensation, cravings and more. It can positively affect mood, and alongside other chemicals found in cocoa, it makes you feel better for longer.
Theobromine is a feel-good chemical that relaxes muscles and widens the body's airways, providing a peaceful experience.
Dopamine is known as the feel-good chemical and is produced from phenylethylamine in the body. As well as this, our taste receptors, when experiencing a delicious taste, release more dopamine to build these networks of desire and craving even more.
With these and various other chemicals, it makes sense why we crave chocolate. The feel-good effects keep us coming back for more.
A little easier to examine and understand, chocolate, alongside these biological effects on the body, is often used as a comfort and pleasurable thing to do. Thanks to environmental factors, we associate taking a chocolatey treat reduces stress, as the chemicals also enhance this. Therefore, we reinforce our cravings and desire for chocolate to lift us up. Break up? Grab some chocolate. Rough day at the office? Treat yourself to Cadbury. It’s a recurring cycle of reward. And because chocolate is normally given as a reward for achieving something or as a sign of love, gifting it on Valentine’s Day or Christmas, we further view it as a comforting food to eat in times of need.
Furthermore, with the above considerations, cravings can arrive due to a nutrient deficiency in the body. Thanks to chocolate’s robust nutritional profile, some cravings can be explained as a way of the body seeking out foods to fill these deficits.
Chocolate contains high amounts of both nutrients. Manganese is essential for the body in developing connective tissue, protecting bones, blood clotting factors and generation of sex hormones. 28 grams of dark chocolate make up about 24% of your recommended daily intake. Magnesium alternatively regulates nerves and muscle function, maintains blood sugar levels and makes bones, protein and DNA. 28 grams of chocolate contains about 15% of the recommended daily intake.
The health bogeyman, sugar is often treated like a pariah in modern diets. We’re endlessly warned about the dangers of sugar, however, our bodies need sugar for energy and fuel. While too much can be detrimental, sugar in moderation is healthy and if you find yourself with chocolate cravings, it could be due to low blood sugar levels and your body needing more fuel.
