Chocolate is a psychoactive food that triggers the release of endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that make people happy. The link between chocolate and endorphins is strong, but the exact mechanism is not fully understood. Chocolate is a popular food that comes in many varieties and is often combined with other sweet foods to create new culinary luxuries.
Chocolate has long stood in a class of its own among those who value the culinary arts. If food were the NBA, chocolate would be a perennial star. In the world of food, chocolate is Muhammad Ali, the Greek god Zeus, and Jack of Three’s Company all at once. This food is considered the best, and many experts link its pleasant qualities to endorphins, the neurotransmitters that make people happy.
Chocolate and endorphins have been linked ever since these “happy” chemicals came to public attention. Endorphins are neurotransmitters, which means they are among the types of chemicals used by neurons to communicate with each other. Neurotransmitters can affect the way people act and feel, and there are certain events that can trigger the release of specific types of these chemicals, in turn dictating our behavior.
The link between chocolate and endorphins is strong because consuming this sweet cocoa mix can trigger the release of the chemical. The greater the release, the more endorphins are active in the nervous system, increasing the likelihood of the euphoric high characteristic of an endorphin rush. Endorphins are also linked to other foods and experiences. A short list of examples includes spicy foods, exercise, pain, and sexual pleasure. It’s easy to see that chocolate and endorphins aren’t the only partner pair between external influences and internal chemical release.
Due to the complexity of the nervous system, the exact link between chocolate and endorphins is not fully understood. In fact, the precise mechanism through which neurotransmitters in general affect human behavior is also an evolving understanding. However, there is a significant amount of research outlining the likely positive link between chocolate consumption and the release of endorphins. Perhaps this can explain the public obsession with certain foods, including chocolate.
The link between chocolate and endorphins allows the classification of chocolate as a psychoactive food, which means that it affects the psyche. It is derived from the cocoa bean and is commonly modified along the manufacturing line to become what many consider to be true chocolate. This food is available in a seemingly endless number of varieties and is often combined with other sweet foods to create new culinary luxuries. Chocolate has even been used in more savory foods, for example, mole sauce, common in Mexican dishes. Few foods seem to command attention like chocolate does, and one explanation for its legend is the release of the pleasure chemicals endorphins.
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