Feeling happy or being in a good mood sometimes comes after we eat something sweet. Is there a reason for that or is it just because we like sweets?
Some studies have shown that feeling happy after we eat something sweet may be because we remember happier times when we were younger, and we ate cookies and ice cream without worrying about anything. Maybe sweets were used as a reward when we did something good or behaved well. Many of these memories stay with us and shape our habits for the rest of our lives.
Anything can be bad for you if you over do it, and the same goes for sweets. There is actually a good side to sweets though. Sugar is a high glycemic index food which is necessary for our body to function properly. So, eating sweets isn’t a bad thing as long as we don’t do it too much. It’s hard to stay away from sweets and there’s a scientific reason for that too.
Feelings of happiness or good moods are associated with eating sweets and it’s not always just because of good memories. Everyone’s body produces neurotransmitters that control our moods, dopamine and serotonin are two of the more important ones. Dopamine is the one that makes you feel good and when you eat sweets your dopamine levels go up and your mood gets better.
Some people are accustom having something sweet for desert after a good meal. There have been studies conducted to find out why this is, but no definite answer has been found. Some say sweets for desert are just a nice tradition, while others say it has something to do with the digestion. Whatever the reason, desert is something most people look forward to.
For whatever reason, sweets just make us feel happy and we should just enjoy them. So next time you feel a little depressed, try having something sweet to make you feel better.
