Chocolate, Sex and Love

When we're lonely, depressed or bummed out, we reach for the chocolate. Especially for women, the liquor of this magic bean seems to spell relief from the blues.

Science hasn't figured out why, although, intriguingly, chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a substance that seems to be produced in the brain when we're in the throes of romance.

Personally, I think it's simply because chocolate provides sensual pleasure, while its fat stimulates a release of oxytocin into the gut and bloodstream via the vagus nerve. That oxytocin feels just like the oxytocin we'd get from making love or being close to someone we love.

At any rate, Aphrodisiology.com has a fun analysis of the satisfactions of chocolate, as well as a list of reasons why it's actually better than sex:

Chocolate will never ask you to wear a wig and scream "Who's your Daddy?"

Comments

[Dave]

Interesting, and the link has some funny comments. But, why is the effect of chocolate so profound, mostly for women and not for men ? I know men who enjoy chocolate, but it seems women REALLY enjoy it. I was at a business meeting recently and while we were waiting for the meeting to start, a woman brought in some chocolate for everyone to share. A few of the women starting talking about different kinds of chocolate and soon they were talking about the special processes used to make some some chocolates, the advantages and disadvantages of swiss-made chcolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, super-dark chocolate, etc., and I said to myself, "wow - these women know a LOT about chocolate".

What's different - hormonally/chemically - about how men and women react to it ?

[Susan Kuchinskas]

That's a really good question. And first, while the women/chocolate thing is a cultural meme, we should point out that not every woman reacts that way. I prefer cheap kids' candy with weird artificial flavors, while my partner, Mike, can't go a day without eating chocolate.

If my theory about the vagus nerve and the release of oxytocin after eating fat is correct, it could go back to the greater propensity of women to react to oxytocin, thanks to estrogen.

[a husband]

I just stumbled upon your site through following the search of one of my own visitors. I think what you have here is great, and very interesting. Thanks for the good reading!

[Susan Kuchinskas]

Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by!

[Dave]

Could the release of oxytocin after eating eating fat be a significant reason for the increasing obesity ? Maybe a cycle that goes like this - when I eat, esp when I eat a high fat meal, I feel content, I feel good, I feel calm, the world is at peace. I like that feeling so I eat more of those foods to get those feelings. And, the cycle goes on and then I look up and I weigh 400 pounds.

I realize food can be a substitute for other things a person isn't getting but I wonder if the oytocin cycle with high-fat content foods works against us when we try to maintain a decent weight. I have never had a weight "problem", but our country is in an absolute obesity epidemic. Is oxytocin the culprit ?

[Susan Kuchinskas]

Absolutely. It makes total sense.

And, while there's probably nothing wrong with using food to get that oxytocin feeling once in a while, it's possible that people who weren't able to develop a healthy oxytocin response as babies might be unable as adults to enjoy the kinds of connection with others that can substitute for food.