If, like me, you've forgotten all the answers on that Biology Exam you aced oh-so-many years ago, you'll appreciate this reminder about dopamine.
Dopamine is a chemical in our brains that regulates our mood, pleasure drive, motivation and learning ability. It is replenished by sleep and other healthy activities and depleted during our waking hours.
Recent research shows that dopamine is depleted more rapidly when we spend time in front of electronic devices and their addictive apps. Note, doom scrolling eats dopamine!
After spending extended amounts of time with such activities, our dopamine levels are so low that we're less and less likely to to get off the couch and out with our friends. Our mood and energy are at an all-time low, and our motivation to get out of our home office and out with friends and family has never been lower. And now we're seeing such sever levels of loneliness that the Surgeon General has declared it a national concern.
No surprise here - all our addictive apps re-wire our brains to prefer FaceTime over face-to-face time.
Chocolate to the Rescue!
Do you spend lots of time in front of a screen? Staring at your phone? Do you find yourself going out less often? If this sounds like you, we have some really good news.
There's a food group that actually replenishes dopamine: Chocolate!
Researchers have found that even small amounts of dark chocolate releases dopamine in our brains. It's because cocoa is packed with bioactive compounds including key flavonoids (theobromine, and phenylethylamine) that trigger a dopamine release.
These flavonoids offer both anit-oxident and neuroprotective properties. Researchers aren't sure if they actually stimulate our brains to PRODUCE more dopamine, or simply inhibit its breakdown, but either way there seems to be a clear connection between dark chocolate and healthy dopamine levels.
Might the fountain of youth actually be made of chocolate?
I don't know, but I'm willing to be a test subject. Preferably, on a daily basis.
PEA: The Love Drug
One area of focus for the food researchers is the compound phenylethylamine (PEA), which has been dubbed the Love Drug for its ability to stimulate our feelings of attraction and excitement.
And you thought giving chocolate on Valentine's day was simply a marketing ploy by chocolate companies? Sounds more like what the world needs now is a bit of wine and chocolate. And love, sweet love, if you'll allow me to quote song lyrics. All of which are great motivations for a month of device-free evenings.
Here's to a steady diet of dopamine-rich dark chocolate!