Chocolate is said to be the most popular Valentine’s Day gift, but not one UT student knew why they picked it as their favorite gift to give their loved one. “It tastes good and is sweet” was just about everyone’s answer. “Sweets for my sweet” as some would say.
Giving chocolate as a gift on Valentine’s Day is a classic symbol of love and appreciation that’s been occurring since the beginning of the holiday. What most don’t know is that giving chocolate on Valentine’s Day indirectly comes from the Aztec culture.
“Aztec Emperor Montezuma II reputedly drank 50 cups of spiced chocolate a day to sustain his virility, increase fertility… and also drank chocolate before cavorting with the ladies” said Goncalves, student wellness intern at FOODS.
Chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac, but that is a myth. There is no direct connection between increased sexual arousal and chocolate. But when a person eats chocolate an amphetamine-like chemical is released and “mimics the brain chemistry of a person in love temporarily,” states Goncolves.
Love and lust are actively overlapping emotions and that makes it easy for chocolate eaters to confuse the feeling of love with sexual arousal. A study of 163 women in Italy found that there were no significant differences between the rates of arousal or distress between those who ate chocolate and those who did not.
Chocolate is romance, not sex. But once often leads to the other. Keep that in mind when choosing between getting your date flowers or chocolate.
Danie Sopchak can be reached at danielle.sopchak@spartans.ut.edu.
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Again great job! I learned something new about chocolate