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Nobel Prize goes to those who eat more chocolate
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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American scientists have discovered an interesting pattern: the higher the amount of chocolate consumed in a given country, the higher the chance of a representative of that country receiving a Nobel Prize.
The results of the study by a team of scientists, led by Dr. Franz Messerli, an American scientist and employee of one of the New York clinics, were published in the journal “New England Journal of Medicine”.
According to Dr. Messerli, the number of Nobel laureates is directly related to the amount of chocolate consumed per capita. The experts discovered this fact by comparing the top list of countries with the largest number of sweet lovers and the same list of Nobel laureates. Surprisingly, they coincide.
"The idea for this study came to me in a hotel in Kathmandu, I just had nothing else to do. When I discovered this pattern, I just couldn't believe my eyes," Dr. Messerli says.
Switzerland became the leader of this unique rating, followed by Sweden, Denmark, Austria, and Norway, with the USA taking only tenth place.
The study's leader says that on average, Swiss people eat about 120 chocolate bars, weighing 85 grams, per year.
According to the scientist’s calculations, in order to catch up with the leaders of the rating, Americans need to eat approximately 125,000 tons more chocolate products.
Dr. Messerli calculated the data based on the number of Nobel Prize winners in each country, including 2011. Those who won the prize in 2012 were not included.
The scientist also emphasizes that the study is about dark chocolate, which is known to have the most beneficial qualities and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the brain, increases the body's defenses and improves cognitive abilities, and is also an excellent preventative against colds.
By the way, an interesting exception in the list of the smartest sweet tooth is Sweden. According to the scientist's calculations, the amount of chocolate consumed and the number of award winners do not coincide, because their number is 28, and if you believe Dr. Messerli's scheme, there should be only 14. Experts suggest that in this case, the Swedes benefited from the fact that they are too sensitive to chocolate and therefore it can improve their abilities even in small quantities.
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