Chocolate lovers rejoice! Adding the sweet stuff to your coffee may help you concentrate better, a study from the University of Georgia has found.
The study compared the “mental energy” effects of four different hot beverages, one with cocoa, one with caffeine, one with a combination of the two and the final as a placebo.
Each day, the participants drank one of the four drinks and were asked to complete a “mental energy test.”
Participants showed quicker response rates from those who drank cocoa and those with the caffeine-cocoa concoction also had higher accuracy than those with the cocoa drink.
Along with the concentration boost, the research showed that cocoa lessened “caffeine’s anxiety-producing effects.”
“Cocoa increases cerebral blood flow, which increases cognition and attention. Caffeine alone can increase anxiety,” study author Ali Boolani told Global News. “This particular project found that cocoa lessens caffeine’s anxiety-producing effects — a good reason to drink mocha lattes.”
Although keep your mid-morning temper in check. The study found caffeine had a negative effect on people’s moods. When compared to the placebo group, those who had only caffeine in their drink were angrier. Consuming cocoa along with the caffeine weakened those feelings of anger along with anxiety.
Bottom line: pass the chocolate and nobody gets hurt (you’ll just get smarter!)