What does chocolate really do to you?  
        Whether it's Valentine's Day or not, I incessantly hoard chocolate, especially dark almond chocolate. I'm addicted to the bitter-sweet taste that soaks into  throat as it melts on my tongue. But most importantly, I eat chocolate when I am stressed or want to reward myself after an overwhelming day. Chocolate has its special spell that just makes me feel so much better for no obvious reasons.

          In fact, there has been many studies showing the effect of chocolate on the brain. Chocolate triggers brain to release endorphin hormone, which decreases stress and lessen pain. Phenylethylamine, or "chocolate amphetamine", is another hormone that increases your mood and can make you feel like you are in love. But don't you worry because it is not addictive like the drug amphetamine. Chocolate will never abandon you on any gloomy day.

         Another recent studies on BBC News reported an appalling correlation between chocolate and cleverness. Based on their research on the number of Nobel Laureates per 10 Million Population in relation to nation's average chocolate consumption per year, this following graph was generated. 

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20356613 

        p value of 0.0001 of means that "there is a less than one-in-10,000 probability of getting results like these if no correlation exists." There are some outliers like Germany and Sweden, yet in general, this graph implies that cocoa intake can improve mental function and heighten one's cleverness. Why is that so? Christopher Pissarides, a Nobel Prize winner for economics in 2010, once said in his interview that "To win a Nobel Prize you have to produce something that others haven't thought about - chocolate that makes you feel good might contribute a little bit. Of course it's not the main factor but... anything that contributes to a better life and a better outlook in your life then contributes to the quality of your work."  

Nevertheless, readers have to remember that correlation does not say anything about causation. Though countries with higher chocolate consumption tend to generate more Nobel Prize winners, there is no satisfying explanation supporting the hypothesis yet. And depending on readers' interpretations, contrasting perception to the study is inevitable.