THE CHOCOLATE PERCENTILE
The percentage of women who, according to surveys, say they’d rather have chocolate than sex. The figure varies from country to country, indicating it’s not just the type of chocolate that has an influence but also cultural differences. The lowest percentile is in Ireland where a 2010 survey found 20% of women would rather have chocolate than sex. A 2012 GratisPoint survey in France, home to some of the best chocolate in world, found it was as high as 49%. Whereas a 2007 poll by Cadbury in England found it was only marginally higher at 52%. In America, a survey by the Chocolate Manufacturers Association came in with a massive 70%, later bumped up to an even more impressive 73% in a 2011 survey by Saatchi Wellness.
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As to the reason why so many women prefer chocolate to sex, the explanations are as numerous as the surveys themselves, though two theories stand out as worthy of interest. The first, according to Cadbury’s own research, is that for many women chocolate provides “guaranteed pleasure, it never disappoints”. It’s a belief Cadbury put to good use in the tagline for their Spanish ads of 2010: “A man is never going to be like a whole bar of Cadbury’s”.
The second theory relates to the belief in the lists circulated on the web, especially around Valentine’s Day, that emphasize the positive, mood-enhancing properties of chocolate as:
Ten Reasons Why Chocolate is Better than Sex
- Chocolate satisfies even when it has gone soft.
- You can make chocolate last as long as you want it to.
- The word ‘commitment’ doesn’t scare off chocolate.
- You can have chocolate at work without upsetting your colleagues.
- With chocolate there’s no need to fake it.
- You can have as many kinds of chocolate as you can handle.
- You are never too young or too old for chocolate.
- “If you love me you’ll swallow that” has real meaning with chocolate.
- Chocolate will never be rude to you.
- Chocolate is never jealous of your friends.
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