The Science of Addiction Nature and nurture conspire to fuel those everyday cravings.
Recent studies show that addictions are more diverse and complicated than commonly thought.
The hankering for chocolate, it now seems, is rooted more in American culture than in basic human physiology. People's leanings toward nicotine and caffeine, in contrast, appears rooted in the genes. In a number of studies, chocolate rated as the number one food craving among women. Many researchers have come to believe that chocolate's appeal is linked to the way it scrambles the chemistry of the brain. Other researchers have noted that chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a stimulating hormone that helps produce the rush felt by a person in love.