A great study out of Gettysburg College’s Psychology department. Each participant was randomly asked to eat either a cracker or piece of chocolate either mindfully or non-mindfully. Researchers found that eating chocolate mindfully (focusing on the ingredient production) rather than simply eating without thinking produces an actual increase in a positive mood over other participants.<\/p>\n

A fun study on the effect of chocolate and what it does to the people who eat it, but it also shows that mindfully eating a comfort food can better increase a positive mood over mindlessly snacking.<\/p>\n

Abstract from The Sweet Life: The Effect of Minful Chocolate Consumption on Mood<\/i> published via Appetite<\/i>, Volume 108:<\/p>\n

Chocolate consumption is anecdotally associated with an increase in happiness, but little experimental work has examined this effect. We combined a food type manipulation (chocolate vs. crackers) with a mindfulness manipulation (mindful consumption vs. non-mindful consumption) and examined the impact on positive mood. Participants (N = 258) were randomly assigned to eat a small portion (75 calories) of chocolate or a control food (crackers) in a mindful or non-mindful way. Participants who were instructed to mindfully eat chocolate had a greater increase in positive mood compared to participants who were instructed to eat chocolate non-mindfully or crackers either mindfully or non-mindfully. Additional analyses revealed that self-reported liking of the food partially mediated this effect. Chocolate appears to increase positive mood, but particularly when it is eaten mindfully.<\/i> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Confectionery News<\/i> called it ‘candy karma,’ and reported on how the participants were asked to eat mindfully – by holding the chocolate or cracker and thinking about the people who actually made the ingredients that were needed for production.<\/p>\n
Sources:<\/p>\n
Meier, Brian P. “The Sweet Life: The Effect of Mindful Chocolate Consumption on Mood.” Science Direct<\/i>. Appetite, 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 06 Oct. 2016. <\/span><\/p>\n
<\/div>\nNIEBURG, Oliver. “Candy Karma: Eating Chocolate ‘mindfully’ Boosts Mood, Says NCA-backed Study.” ConfectioneryNews.com<\/i>. N.p., 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 06 Oct. 2016. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
+Renee Shelton<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/i>
Twitter: @121degreesC<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/i>
PastrySampler.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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