This past weekend, Red Mountain Spa hosted its third annual Valentine’s Day Le Parti de Chocolat. Following a 5-minute welcome, the chocolate party got officially underway, and the nearly 100 guests in attendance did not hesitate (not even a flicker) to dip gargantuan fresh strawberries in melted dark Criollo chocolate or sample 9 varieties of smooth-textured gourmet truffles – all basked in rich cocoa butter. Everyone in attendance was thinking cocoa confection. Chocolate talk was in the air.

Among the many couples in attendance arose dozens of conversations about chocolate and mood. Typical women's quesion: Why does chocolate lift my spirits? Another typical women's question: When I eat chocolate I feel more romantic – why? Typical guys question: Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac? All good questions. The answers, invariably, involve some folklore, some science and some unexplained.

The romance and mystery surrounding chocolate reads like a classic novel - transcending centuries and embellished with tales of high seas exploration and the discovery of strange inhabitants in remote, foreboding jungles. Being native to Central and South America, the “cacao” tree with its prized fruit was unknown to Europeans until Columbus’s forth expedition to the New World (1502). Twenty years later, Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez is said to have brought back three chests of cacao beans, believed by the conquered Aztecs to fight fatigue and held in high esteem as an aphrodisiac. Montezuma II, Aztec ruler at the time, was reported to have consumed up to 50 flagons of a frothy chocolate drink per day. It was also noted that the emperor had many wives and dozens of children.

After its introduction in Europe in the early 16th century, cacao was not an immediate runaway hit. Enjoying the bitter, unsweetened pulp was said to take an acquired taste. It wasn’t until the 17th century that chili peppers, normally added to cacao beverages (favored by the Aztecs), were replaced with sugar – a popular move with European nobility. Soon, primitive brownies, chocolate cakes, and other delectable cacao foods began finding their way into the dining rooms of the rich. But since access to sweetened chocolate was relegated to so few and denied to the masses, tales of cacao’s purported romantic and medicinal qualities flourished amongst the working class. Many of these claims have been passed on through the centuries, occasionally resurfacing on confection websites, candy store conversations, certainly at chocolate parties.

The cold science of mood alteration via chocolate involves a highly-debated substance known as phenylethylamine, or PEA – an inherent cacao chemical which stimulates the nervous system, triggering the release of endorphins (morphine-like compounds that dull pain and provide a sense of well-being). Twenty years ago, Mark Liebowitz, author of The Chemistry of Love, suggested that amphetamine-like PEA, because of its similar chemical structure to some neurotransmitters, may stimulate the brain to produce more norepinephrine. “Not so!” says Dr. Richard Wyatt, a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health. In the name of science, Dr. Wyatt and his colleagues ate pounds of chocolate but didn’t raise their urine levels of phenylethylamine – an indication that, as suspected, PEA is broken down rather quickly and does not have a significant impact on brain neurochemistry. The researchers did not experience any change in mood but many complained of headaches. In fairness to pro-PEA advocates, however, evaluating urine samples in the lab is not quite the same as a romantic evening with your significant other.

Additional reasons that may account for chocolate-induced mood boosts include increases in dopamine (a neurotransmitter that is directly associated with sexual arousal and pleasure, and serotonin -- the so-called “happy” neurotransmitter). Yet another way that chocolate may make us feel good is by inhibiting the natural breakdown of anandamide, a brain chemical normally found in small concentrations that contributes to a feeling of euphoria. The sugar that is in most chocolate confection and baked goods may also help to raise our free serotonin levels. Despite the meddling of skeptical, pragmatic scientists, chocolate lifts our mood – just ask any woman who has ever had a chocolate craving satisfied by a caramel truffle. Whether we feel better because of a genuine biological effect or believing centuries old folklore is, for most, irrelevant – as long as we feel better. And, despite what we may have heard in the past about chocolates negative effects on our hearts and waistlines, most researchers now agree that 1-2 chocolates per day will not adversely affect our health – no hypertension, no atherosclerosis, no excess pounds. It may, in moderation - like the apple, keep the doctor away.

For those of you interested in more information on chocolate and disposition (and other health issues), check out the book Chocolate Unwrapped: The Surprising Health Benefits of America’s Favorite Passion (Rowen Jacobsen, 2003).

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