Chocolates Go Hand In Hand With Numbers?

Are you the type who cringes even at the thought of numbers? Some love crunching numbers, others are just plain allergic to it. Even with practice, a lot still can’t avoid dreading it. If you happen to be one of them, I’ve got news for you, and it’s a good one, especially if you al;o happen to love chocolate.

Did you know chocolate can help you deal with number more efficiently?. A group of researchers presented a study during the annual Brighton Show at the British Psychological Society. Such study demonstrates that chocolate, which contains compounds of flavanols (part of a group of chemicals called polyphenols), could make solving mental arithmetic more convenient for people.  It does this through increasing blood supply to the brain.

According to this groundbreaking research, the volunteers who were supplied with 500 mg of flavanols in their cocoa drinks were less likely to experience mental draining. Professor David Kennedy, director of the performance and nutrition research centre at Northumbria University and co-author of the study, said, “For things that are difficult to do, mentally demanding things that maybe crop up in your work, it could help.”

This particular study involved 30 volunteers in groups of three.  The participants were instructed to count backwards randomly between 800 and 999 as chosen by the computer. It was discovered that those who were given the cocoa drink first were quick and accurate with the calculations. Those who participated were also observed to be less tired even if they were asked to do the task over and over again within an hour.

To sum it all up, if you’re not the biggest fan of numbers, all you need is a bar of chocolate, a cocoa drink or anything rich in flavanols.  Then you can get on with your life without having to fear numbers. Pretty sugarcoated, but you get the picture, right?