Financial Success Through Chocolate

As you all know, I am a big proponent of focusing your efforts on the things can control. In finance, that generally means acknowledging that stock markets are chaotic, natural disasters are going to happen, and some people just get lucky with regard to money. After all that you should put your thought and effort towards outcomes you can change: long-term progress in your career, attending to your physical and mental health, smart budget decisions, and careful financial planning. Oh, and chocolate.

In May, a delightful team of Italian scientists reported that the flavonoids in cocoa beans seem to have little understood, indirect effects on our bodies. In fact a regular intake of these chocolaty flavonoids is associated with better cognitive function; a lower risk of dementia, cognitive impairment or cognitive decline in aging; and better cognitive evolution over a 10-year period. The researchers pointed out that flavonoids cross the blood-brain barrier, which might be how they have such powerful long-term impacts. But, of course, chocolate flavonoids are also associated with cardiovascular health, which means better heart health and blood flow to the brain.

As a whole, the Italian team's findings suggest that chocolate flavonoids could help us think more clearly, work longer, and stay healthier over the long-term. From my point of view, that makes chocolate a fantastic tool for financial success. So if you are grinding your way through a not-so-great spot in the career or a not-so-fun period of budgeting, you might brighten your future prospects just a bit by remembering your dose of chocolate. Happy Friday.