Chocolate, The Little Pleasure That Seduces Our Brain

Legend has it that the cocoa tree was the most beautiful in the Aztecs’ paradise and that it grew naturally in the shade of tropical forests for over 4,000 years. Chocolate remains today “the food of the gods”, a dark, soft pleasure that seduces our senses.

We can say that the “chocolha” that the Mayans consumed was extremely bitter and that this delicacy was only available to nobles and kings. It was an offering from nature: it provided vigor, longevity, and health. However, part of these attributes were lost at the same time that, upon arriving in Spain, the “chocolha” was adapted to the European taste, with sugar added.

Chocolate is a pleasure for our brain, but contrary to what we thought, it does not cure our pain. According to a study carried out by the University of Minnesota, excess sugar greatly limits the virtues of cocoa itself, although it contributes in many other aspects that we will discuss here.

Chocolate, a fascinating fragrance

For a large part of the population, chocolate represents an attraction that goes beyond the senses and has its roots in the emotional foundations of our brain. So much so that neuromarketing experts recommend that companies use chocolate flavoring in their establishments.

• A team of psychologists at the University of Hasselt in Belgium demonstrated that something as simple as exhaling a mild chocolate odor every half hour in a bookstore increased sales by 20%.

• We must remember that many stores seek to stimulate their customers visually and soundly, to the point that this type of tool is no longer working. Currently, the power of chocolate fragrance is the most effective.

• It has also been proven that many luxury boutiques have scented their spaces with chocolate-scented candles for many years. Thanks to this, an atmosphere is created so seductive, subtle and intoxicating that customers spend more time in the store and sales increase considerably.

It is necessary to realize that this “smell trap” is a foolproof tool to attract customers. The reason for this lies in something simple and fascinating: the olfactory pathway and the neural channels that govern our emotions are connected. Chocolate and its fragrance are one of the most powerful stimuli in our emotional world.

Chocolate, a seducer for our emotional brain

Chocolate doesn’t cure depression or help us live longer. If you want to fully absorb the natural benefits of chocolate, its flavonoids, vitamins or those natural compounds capable of acting as a serotonin precursor, it is always better to opt for dark chocolate, the purest and sugar-free.

Now, if something captivates us in chocolate, in addition to its exquisite taste, it is because it turns on a very special light: our emotions. The brain likes to remember the pleasant moments of the past and, interestingly, many of these moments stored in our mind are related to some of the following aspects:

• The chocolate pie that our grandmother made.
• That candy or cake we ate after school.
• A birthday cake or all our birthday cakes.
• The rainy afternoon next to our partner while we were preparing a hot chocolate.
• A summer afternoon on the beach eating chocolate ice cream that melted in your mouth.
• A box of chocolates, strawberries and a special night…

Chocolate is the main guest in the most pleasant, accomplices and intimate moments of our lives. Therefore, even the most selective palates melt when remembering or imagining the nuances of its flavor. In turn, part of this gratifying wave of endorphins in the brain occurs due to an association between these happy moments and the taste that comforts and seduces our senses.

Chocolate, by itself, does not have an adequate nutritional composition to cure pain.  It acts more as a catalyst, an infallible, suggestive and powerful mediator of positive emotions and even deepest desires.