I have to confess. I embrace a healthy diet, eat a banana every morning for the potassium, an avocado a day for the good fat, eat wild salmon for the omega fats, and nibble on raw almonds as a snack.
I haven’t eaten red meat in decades, but when it comes to chocolate, all bets are off.
I try to justify my desire for chocolate by eating only dark chocolate, and chocolate covered pomegranates, thinking it’s healthier. In reality, they’re filled with sugar and caffeine, and I’ve always wondered, is chocolate truly an aphrodisiac, or is it a myth?
In honor of World Chocolate Day, held annually on July 5th, Elite Singles came up with some fun facts about this sugar-filled day, as it relates to romance, which might surprise you.
Fun Fact 1. The scent of chocolate can make you more likely to buy a romance novel
Since many of you have bookshelves filled with romance novels or self-help relationship books, it’s not a random decision that bookstores with cafes have chocolate strategically placed near the romance sections.
According to Elite Singles,
“In 2013, Belgian researchers conducted an experiment where they pumped chocolate smells around a local bookstore and then analyzed shopper’s behavior. When the store smelled of chocolate, sales of romance novels and cookbooks rose 40% higher than when the store didn’t have the scent.”
Fun Fact 2. Chocolate can get you more worked up than passionate kissing
In 2007, researchers found that eating chocolate makes your heart beat faster than the already fast heartbeat you experience while kissing. The research took it further and found if you let the chocolate melt in their mouth, it’s more of an intense and longer lasting feeling than just when kissing.
No wonder, ordering a flour-less chocolate cake or a chocolate-covered strawberry seems romantic at the end of a date.
Fun Fact 3. You won’t feel the aphrodisiac effects unless you eat 25lbs of chocolate at once
Famous philanderer Giacomo Casanova, the kind of guy you don’t want to date, loved sipping hot chocolate, even more than champagne. Could a chocolate martini be a better drink to order than a glass of prosecco?
Casanova called chocolate the “elixir of love” and used it to woo women. But the reality is, you’d have to eat an enormous amount of sugar-filled chocolate for it to be noticeable, and we know that’s not healthy.
Fun Fact 4. Chocolate can make singles fantasize about love
A study in 2014 on the effects of snack foods and romantic thoughts of singles found that those who eat Oreos were more likely to think about a dreamy potential romantic scenario, as compared to those who ate salty chips.
Fun Fact 5. Chocolate and water taste better when you’re falling in love
According to Elite Singles,
“A set of 2013 studies compared the tastes of a neutral group with groups of participants induced to feel love, jealousy, and happiness. Each group was asked to rank the sweetness of certain foods, like chocolate and even water. The neutral, jealous, and happy groups ranked the foods similarly – but the love group’s rankings were consistently higher on the sweet scale.“
So if you’re wondering if chocolate is an aphrodisiac and will help your dating or love life, my best advice is to nibble it in moderation and take steps to manifest the perfect relationship for you.
If you need help to fill your date card, or are looking for a loving relationship, contact Online Dating Expert Julie Spira at info@cyberdatingexpert.com
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Julie Spira is the Digital Matchmaker® and America's Top Online Dating Expert. She's an award-winning certified dating coach who's been helping singles find their perfect match for over three decades. Follow @JulieSpira on IG and @digitalmatchmaker on TikTok.