New Study in Time for Valentine’s Day:

Sex in Chocolate
(In Consenting Adults*)

Popular lore repeatedly suggests that chocolate can serve as a substitute for sex, specifically in women. Where this notion stems from is unclear. There seems to be little evidence for such a relationship. Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego (lead author), and colleague Brinton Berg have assessed whether there is a foundation to the oft depicted tie between sex and chocolate in women.

They capitalized on data from a large study in which chocolate consumption frequency and interest in sex were each measured, to evaluate whether indeed a relationship between chocolate-consumption and sex-interest exists. From a study sample of many hundreds of participants, chocolate frequency and sex interest indeed differed significantly by sex: a relationship was particularly present in women. Chocolate consumption frequency was not only tied to (lower!) sex interest in women but was the unique strongest predictor.

This appears consistent, at least, with the popular tropes according to which chocolate can substitute for sex in women: “chocolate it’s like sex but you don’t have to shave your legs”; “because chocolate can’t get you pregnant”; “yes, size matters!” (depicting a woman with a large chocolate bar); or "it's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate.” This view is endorsed by celebrities and others: "my favorite thing in the world is a box of fine European chocolates which is, for sure, better than sex" (Alicia Silverstone); "it's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let's face it, far more reliable than a man" (Miranda Ingram, French journalist); "forget love ... I'd rather fall in chocolate!" (Anonymous).

We do not, on the basis of these findings, advocate against chocolate as a Valentine’s gift. Findings relate to the frequency with which chocolate is consumed. Moreover, popular tropes (with which findings from this study comport) suggest that chocolate is a high-value gift for women for its hedonic virtues – such a gift may well enhance the allure of the giver†.

This article is published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science (formerly PeerEMed) a peer reviewed, PubMed indexed journal that you may recall from many early COVID articles. This journal is popular for time-sensitive material for which rapid turn-around is sought.  

Link: https://www.cureus.com/articles/50775-chocolate-consumption-and-sex-interest

*All subjects gave informed consent to participate in this survey study.

†To determine the net impact, future studies could randomize Valentines to receive chocolate vs. non-chocolate gifts and assess frequency with which intimate activities ensued.