Chocolate and Valentine's Day

When I opened my door Thursday morning, I was surprised to see how much chocolate was in front of me. Of course it was Valentine's Day, but I never thought my housemates and friends would be so generous and leave copious amounts of chocolate outside my door.

Now in the possession of more chocolate goodness than I could ever hope to eat, I began to ponder the origins of this Valentine's Day practice. I didn't have to look far, for there were several articles linking the sweet treat and love.

In my search, I found multiple references to chocolate being able to increase the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects our mood and is subsequently responsible for increased sexual excitation. Further reading lead me to discover that chocolate possesses another chemical, phenethylamine, which triggers the release of endorphins, which are more feel-good chemicals, as well as increases the activity of dopamine which is directly linked with sexual pleasure.

Even though I thought the websites with this information are fairly reliable, I am not completely sold. I feel like this is more of an excuse or justification for "feeling good" than it is science. What do you all think?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/02/07/chocolate-love-drug-good/