Does cocoa make us happy? Many people believe that certain substances, such as phenylethylamine, are responsible for the feeling of happiness. This substance is produced from phenylalanine during fermentation and roasting, but it is broken down very quickly in the body by the enzyme monoamine oxidase. Even taking 1.6 g of phenylethylamine showed no effect in experiments, while milk chocolate contains only about 50 to 100 mg per 100 g, and chocolate with a high cocoa content contains up to 700 mg per 100 g. Tryptophan is also not the reason why chocolate makes us feel good, because it does not directly turn into serotonin. Instead, it first becomes 5-hydroxytryptophan, which the body converts into serotonin only when needed. Another possible substance is theobromine, which makes up about 1 to 2.5% of cocoa, depending on the type and processing, and has a stimulating effect similar to caffeine that lasts longer. If theobromine were mainly responsible for the feeling of happiness, pure cocoa powder should have a particularly strong effect. However, the feeling of happiness is more commonly associated with sweetened milk chocolate, which contains only about 30% cocoa. Scientists therefore believe that the sweet taste and our personal experiences play an important role. Sweet foods activate the brain's reward system, while chocolate is often associated with happy memories, rewards, or special moments. The feeling of happiness therefore probably comes mainly from the combination of taste, the brain's reward system, and positive memories rather than from a single ingredient (Leitenberger, 2015, S. 67,68,69).