Feeling a little jealous this Valentine’s Day? Eat some dark chocolate.
I don’t know about you, but chocolate always makes me feel better—and there’s actually a reason for that. According to a speculative letter in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, eating dark chocolate might actually ease feelings associated with romantic stress. This is because dark chocolate affects neurochemistry and might lower cortisol levels—which can be high when experiencing jealousy.
According to psychiatrist Jie-Yu Chuang from Columbia University, who spoke with David J. Ley, Ph.D. of Psychology Today, cortisol often plays a role in the experience of jealousy.
“Some studies have shown that consuming dark chocolate appears to reduce cortisol elevations,” wrote Ley. “Specifically, flavonoids, one of the chemical components of dark chocolate seem to blunt cortisol elevations, as one study compared the consumption of 25 milligrams of dark chocolate high in flavonoids to a dark chocolate that had negligible levels of flavonoid and found significant reductions in cortisol levels measured in saliva tests.”
Does Dark Chocolate Actually Help Cure Jealousy?
Chuang explained to Ley that the impact of dark chocolate might differ depending on the sex of the individual, as men and women tend to experience jealousy—and react to it—differently.
But hey, even if you’re still fuming with jealousy while staring at your ex’s Instagram post with their new partner, at least you’ll be enjoying some tasty chocolate.
Though, just like you might be this Valentine’s Day, dark chocolate tends to be pretty bitter.
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