Chips 'make you more cheerful'Chips can improve people's moods, making them calmer and more cheerful, according to researchers.
Experts believe that it may be because of the carbohydrates in chips, or simply because the taste and smell are associated with happy times, such as seaside holidays.
The research, commissioned by the Potato Council and carried out by Aston University in Birmingham, asked 60 men and women to watch a five-minute film which graphically depicted the fall-out of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of the Second World War.
Half were then given a magazine to take their mind off the film, while the other half were given a plate of chips. They were also asked to fill in a questionnaire before and after the film and after finishing the chips or reading.
Dr Mike Green, from Aston University, said: "The psychological data showed that participants who were feeling down felt better after eating chips.
"In fact, calmness was restored after 20 minutes.
"It may be down to the biological effects of the nutritional components on brain chemistry or simply a pleasurable sensation, triggered by the way chips taste."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7239605/Chips-make-you-more-cheerful.html
Sounds like a really well thought out experiment, and some really revealing conclusions too. Well done Dr Mike Green.
