Already counting down the days till next year’s Halloween candy haul? You’re not the only one. Check out these fun facts on the chemistry behind chocolate and how it affects the brain!

You might not think STEM has anything to do with your favorite guilty pleasure, but there’s actually a lot of chemistry behind chocolate, which leads to several pros and cons. First, the bad news: you can become addicted to chocolate due to chemicals in chocolate.  In a Harvard study on chocolate addiction, Michael Craig Miller explains that foods with high sugar and fat content stimulate the reward part of the brain. When the brain stops receiving that trigger, it can experience the same withdrawal symptoms a drug addict might undergo.

No need to go cold turkey on chocolate though. It actually has multiple health benefits, including memory improvement. According to an article by The New York Times, chocolate has antioxidants which improves blood flow to the brain and can improve memory and mental energy. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), you’d have to eat a lot of chocolate to really see much of a difference.

Chocolate does make for a great study snack though! Milk chocolate won’t do much for you, but dark chocolate will give you energy and keep your mind awake. Try pairing chocolate with healthy nuts like almonds and blueberries for the ultimate power snack.

Some doctors believe chocolate has even more powerful health effects for more serious injuries like concussions. In an article for Psychology Today, Diane Roberts argues that dark chocolate’s anti-inflammatory properties could help reduce an inflamed brain which accompanies concussions.

The chemistry behind chocolate also connects emotions to chocolate consumption. In one study, women reported their happiness increased when they ate chocolate as opposed to an apple. The study showed that some women also felt more guilt when they ate the chocolate. One of the reasons for an increase in happiness is its chemical makeup, which is similar to some drugs. For example, cannabinoids, which are found in marijuana, are fatty acids which hit receptors in the frontal cortex, leading to a more relaxed, pleasurable state.

In line with its ability to increase happiness levels, dark chocolate can also help relieve stress. An article on the health benefits of dark chocolate for Everyday Health goes into detail about all the heart benefits of choosing chocolate for a snack. The body naturally releases stress-fighting chemicals when you start to feel tense and anxious. These chemicals raise blood pressure but when dark chocolate enters the picture, the chemicals don’t have as much work to do, relieving physical stress on the heart and making stress less damaging.

From your emotional levels to your mental energy, chocolate is definitely packed with health benefits. But it’s important to remember that not all chocolate will deliver on these facts; in fact, milk chocolate and white chocolate will probably just pack on the pounds, and some types of dark chocolate will too. That’s why it’s important to understand the chemistry behind chocolate. It’s not just the color that you should look at for, but the ingredients inside. Next time you’re craving chocolate, look for dark chocolate that has been minimally processed, meaning it has less refined sugar and fat and more flavonoids, the antioxidant compounds that are responsible for all the health benefits. Check out Livestrong’s 12 suggestions for the healthiest chocolate bars you can buy.

With finals just around the corner, reach for a chocolate bar instead of more coffee and junk food. The key to a sharp mind is taking care of your body, which starts with what you put in it. The chemistry behind chocolate and every food is the reason why STEM matters, because it affects every part of our lives. STEM doesn’t just happen with a calculator in hand or with a hard hat on, but everyday when you decide what to eat.

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Did you enjoy learning about the chemistry behind chocolate? While STEM Jobs won’t be doing a series of dessert articles (sorry, no chemistry behind chocolate cake or chemistry behind chocolate chip cookies), get ready for several cool articles about the chemistry behind tie dye and the chemistry behind hair dye.

Want more real-life STEM? Check out these spicy food facts, these future STEM careers, and some amazingly cool neuroscience careers!