Who knew? Chocolate makes people want to shop

The wonders of chocolate seem to be endless. According to a new study by Hasselt University in Belgium (Yes we know Belgium is one of the chocolate capitals of the world), chocolate also makes people want to shop longer for books.

The behavior of 201 people was examined in a bookstore for 10 days. During those 10 days researchers pumped the smell of chocolate into the store, sat back and watched what happened, reported BuzzFeed. Turns out, people like to shop when they smell chocolate.

Jonathan Gold Quiz: What do you know about chocolate?

While the chocolate scent was wafting through the store, people were twice as likely to keep browsing and pick up more than one book. They were also more interested in books related to romance and food.

So really, this study reinforced what we’ve known all along. Having chocolate around is a good thing.

I wonder what the affect would be if the same study were done with the smell of pizza, crisping bacon or melted butter. I imagine it would be similar. Who wants to leave a room when it smells like bacon?

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