Chocolate Hits The Spot

Sucking on chocolate is a bigger turn-on than kissing, a new study has found.

Researchers discovered romantically-involved couples responded more to chocolate melting in their mouths than snogging.

Recordings of brain activity and heart rate were taken as the volunteers tasted pieces of dark chocolate or kissed their partners.

The findings showed that even the most passionate kisses fail to equal the "buzz" of chocolate.

"These results really surprised and intrigued us," said psychologist Dr David Lewis, who led the study.

The 12 volunteers, all in their 20s, had electrodes attached to their scalps and were asked to wear heart monitors.

Each participant was told to place a piece of dark chocolate on the tongue and, without chewing, indicate when it started to melt.

For the second part of the experiment couples were invited to kiss each other as they would do normally.

Tests were carried out to record heart and brain activity without stimulation, activity when tasting chocolate, and activity when kissing.

The study found that at the point chocolate melts in the mouth, all regions of the brain receive a boost far more intense and longer lasting than the mental excitement from kissing.

Chocolate also made the heart beat faster - from 60 to 140 beats a minute in some cases.