Tuesday, April 17, 2007

News from all over - Britain

British researchers say they are stunned to discover people get more of a buzz from eating chocolate than passionately kissing their lovers.

"These results really surprised and intrigued us," psychologist Dr David Lewis said after leading a study that recorded brain activity and heart rate from volunteers who tasted pieces of dark chocolate or kissed their partners.

"There is no doubt that chocolate beats kissing hands down when it comes to providing a long-lasting body and brain buzz - a buzz that, in many cases, lasted four times as long as the most passionate kiss."

He says while researchers expected chocolate, especially dark chocolate, to raise heart rates, "both the length of this increase together with the powerful effects it had on the mind were something none of us had anticipated".

The 12 volunteers, all aged in their 20s, wore heart monitors and had electrodes attached to their heads as each placed a piece of dark chocolate on the tongue and without chewing indicated when it started to melt.

Couples were later invited to kiss each other in the same way as they would do normally. The study found that at the point chocolate melts in the mouth, all areas of the brain are stimulated far more intensely and for longer than from from kissing.

They study found chocolate also made the heart beat faster. Some people saw the number of heart beats per minute rise from a resting rate of about 60 to as high as 140. Kissing also made the couples' hearts pound, but not for as long.

Both genders showed the same responses in the tests.

Source