Demi

**Research Proposal**
For this years research project I will be investigating the link between texture and the effect of chocolate on mood. I will aim to prove that having something such as a creamy hot chocolate will increase your mood further than a cold hard piece of cheap homebrand chocolate. My experiment will involve giving chocolate in a range of forms to a group of around five people. I will record peoples change in mood on a pain chart but instead of measuring pain it will measure mood.

Resources I will use: Flinders University Database Online - information on previous experiments and research information []- interesting facts based around the different myths about chocolate

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5114080_chocolate-affects-brain.html - a listing of all of the different chemicals in chocolate and what they do

**Research Paper** Chocolate is renowned for being a comfort food and anecdotally curing a bad mood, however there has been minimal research into the impact of the texture of the chocolate and whether this has any further effect on mood. There are many other factors that contribute to the sensation experienced when eating a sugary substance. This paper will explore the effects of chocolate on mood with the aim of proving a link between consumption of chocolate and a positive mood modification.

Chocolate is a sweet treat that is said to have many qualities from health and wellbeing to the happy feeling that many claim to experience when eating chocolate. One of the most prominent qualities is that it has a mood altering effect (Coveleskie viewed 16/06/10). Chocolate contains a range of different chemicals that can have a positive effect on the brain by triggering the release of endorphins, which therefore alter the overall mood of an individual.(Huff viewed 17/06/10) One of the main chemicals in chocolate is tryptophan, which increases the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin which occurs naturally in the brain and is the main ingredient in many antidepressant medications. (Thibodeau 2010 pg 402.) These medications work by either slowing the reuptake of neurotransmitters into the synapse and making the happy feeling last longer or producing a larger amount of serotonin.(Coveleskie viewed 16/06/10). This is found in antidepressants and is also the main substance responsible for feelings of happiness and bliss. Phenylethylamine is another neurotransmitter affected by consumption of chocolate which causes pulse rate to quicken and a rise in blood pressure and blood sugar levels. This leads to feelings of alertness and euphoria and has been linked to having similar affects to amphetamines, although it would require consumption of approximately 11 kilograms of chocolate for it to have an affect anywhere near as strong (Coveleskie viewed 16/06/10). The chemical theobromine is one of the most recognized chemicals in chocolate even if the name is not recognized, the feeling associated with this chemical would be the one which gives chocolate its comfort food status. Theobromine has a similar affect to caffeine. It increases alertness and energy levels but also causes mental and physical relaxation. It is believed by some scientists that there is no caffeine in chocolate and that the theobromine is solely responsible for these sensations. (Coveleskie viewed 16/06/10)

A range of different endorphins control mood, from neurotransmitters to amino acids, all play a part in controlling the delicate balance. This balance can be easily disrupted by substances allowed into the body in the form of food and drink and in many cases they will cause one of many mood altering effects such as joy, sadness anger and drowsiness. Chocolate contains serotonin which is closely linked with depression. The levels of serotonin have a major impact on mood and if the levels are unbalanced this will cause drastic changes which can be either positive or negative, however the levels of serotonin in a depressed individual would be lower than anticipated.

A review of the research indicates that not all of the authors agree that chocolate has a positive effect on mood (. One medical article argues that chocolate increases symptoms in medically diagnosed people with depression. (Rose, Koperski & Golomb 2010 p699) Whether this is because chocolate affects everyone differently or acts differently in people with depression is unclear. From all of the other articles it suggests that chocolate improves mood. This could be an area that may benefit from further research to prove if chocolate does have various affects on different people and if so why. This question could lead to research on the chemical balance in the brain and if this too is unique.  So far there have been many different studies done and all seem to come to an indecisive conclusion as to whether or not chocolate really does cause a change in mood. However none closely analyze the relationship between chocolate consumption and mood in humans. (Rose et al 2010 p700) This may be because people in the control group from one study could not last without chocolate and therefore ate all the chocolate in the experiment refrigerator making the study inconclusive. (Parker& Crawford 2007 p351)

It is difficult to accurately measure mood because verbal responses can be unreliable. There have been many different quizzes and test produced to measure mood. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is an online questionnaire which asks indirect questions about mood to then evaluate the overall test score (Rose et al 2010 p700)). This questionnaire is completed after a week of testing. It would be better to perform an assessment on the same day as the experiment while the results are still fresh in the subjects mind giving a more accurate result. Another picture-orientated test could be used in the future using the paramedic pain score chart but modify it to show the levels of happiness rather than levels of pain. **__ Pain Score Chart __** Taken from [] viewed 27/6/10

__** Bibliography **__ Texbook: Patton, Thibodeau 2010 Anatomy and Physiology 7th edition Mosby/Elsevier Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [] Last Accessed 20/06/10 Parker G. and Crawford J., 2007 Chocolate craving when depressed: a personality marker British Journal of Psychiatry Vol 191, 2007, DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.033746 Huff J. (nd) Chemicals in Chocolate [] last accessed 17/06/10 Coveleskie K. (nd) Chocolate on the Brain [|http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro04/web1/kcoveleskie.h tml] Last Accessed 16/06/10 Rose N, Koperski S and Golomb B. 2010 ‘Mood Food’Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol 170, Issue 8, April 2010 Pain Scale Image, [|http://my.clevelandclinic.org/PublishingImages/heart/painscale.jpg 19/06/10]


 * Variables **

 ** Independent Variable ** ||   ** Dependent Variable ** ||   ** Controlled Variables ** ||  The texture of the chocolate ||   The change in mood from each different form of chocolate ||   The cocoa content, quantity of chocolate given, time given for chocolate to have an effect ||
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__** Hypothesis **__ My hypothesis is that the chocolate with a richer more creamy consistency will have a more of an effect than the cold hard chocolate.

