The sweet life: The effect of mindful chocolate consumption on mood.
Author: Meier BP1, Noll SW2, Molokwu OJ2
Affiliation:
1Gettysburg College, USA. Electronic address: bmeier@gettysburg.edu.
2Gettysburg College, USA.
Conference/Journal: Appetite.
Date published: 2016 Sep 15
Other:
Volume ID: 108 , Pages: 21-27 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.09.018. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 141
Chocolate consumption is anecdotally associated with an increase in happiness, but little experimental work has examined this effect. We combined a food type manipulation (chocolate vs. crackers) with a mindfulness manipulation (mindful consumption vs. non-mindful consumption) and examined the impact on positive mood. Participants (N = 258) were randomly assigned to eat a small portion (75 calories) of chocolate or a control food (crackers) in a mindful or non-mindful way. Participants who were instructed to mindfully eat chocolate had a greater increase in positive mood compared to participants who were instructed to eat chocolate non-mindfully or crackers either mindfully or non-mindfully. Additional analyses revealed that self-reported liking of the food partially mediated this effect. Chocolate appears to increase positive mood, but particularly when it is eaten mindfully.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS: Candy; Chocolate; Mindfulness; Mood; Positive affect
PMID: 27642035 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.09.018
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