The Last Show with David Cooper
FULL EPISODE: The Neurochemistry of Having a Crush - February 25, 2026
26 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
unfiltered discussions unexpected guests no topic is off limits from sex and relationships to the human condition personal anxieties and so much more the only talk show of its kind in the world world this is
Chapter 2: What is the spike in chocolate theft about?
It's the first few moments of the last show. We will hit a lot of topics tonight and here are some of the things you'll learn on the show. Have you ever had a romantic crush that made you feel like the world might end? Well, what if that once in a lifetime love is just your brain chasing a dopamine snack?
In about 10 minutes time, we're gonna expose romantic obsession for the neurological joyride that it is and teach you how to hit the brakes. Then after that, a couple of dream scientists are going to join me on the show. And yes, that's a real thing. Did you know you can lose your job and your dreams can lose their job too?
It sounds silly, but when researchers looked at it, dreams get less vivid and less surprising the less you are employed.
Chapter 3: How does limerence affect our understanding of romantic feelings?
So we'll chat about that halfway through the hour. Those are some of the topics on the show tonight. There will be more. Let's dive in.
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In the UK, at least, chocolate bars are being locked in anti-theft boxes in stores because they're being stolen to order. We're not talking Diamond Heist. We're not talking stolen iPhones, but we're talking food theft here with Sylvain Charlebois, the food professor at Dalhousie University.
Chapter 4: In what ways does unemployment impact our dreams?
Check out his podcast called The Food Professor Podcast. Sylvain, welcome to the show. Oh, thank you, David. At what point does chocolate become the Rolex of the snack aisle that people covet? And if you can't afford it, you might steal it. What's going on with chocolate theft?
There's always a pattern. As soon as a product goes up in price at the grocery store, or if media talks a lot about it, it tends to attract crime, criminals. You'll see heists, you'll see theft increase. We've seen that with cheese, for example, meat products.
Chapter 5: What strategies can help us deal with self-sabotage?
They were heists in Canada in recent months related to meat products. But I'm not surprised with chocolate because we've been talking about chocolate prices for a while. I mean, the price of chocolate, cocoa futures were almost at $12,000 US a metric ton. I think it was less than a year ago. Why?
Because both the Ivory Coast and Ghana couldn't produce enough and demand for cocoa was actually rising, especially in Asia. And so the previous record was was about $3,500, $4,000. So as you can imagine, there was a lot of panic and a lot of manufacturers are paying more for their cocoa. So that's why a lot of people are seeing higher prices.
But when that happens, of course, criminals are paying attention.
For organized criminals who steal a lot of chocolate, what makes it like the perfect crime commodity? Is it because it's shelf-stable, because it provides a lot of calories, because it's universally loved, or because it's just expensive? If you steal it and then resell it, you can really get a good buck?
Seriously, do you know anyone in your life that doesn't like chocolate? Seriously.
Yes, I know one person. I also know one person who doesn't like pasta. And that is insane to me.
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Chapter 6: How does parental math anxiety affect children's math skills?
That is the best food in the world. If I could choose one food, I do. But to answer your question more generally, no, everyone loves it.
Well, exactly. And so that's why it's easy to find a market. It's shelf stable. You don't need a cold chain, an expensive cold chain. And so whenever I see a heist of meat, I say, well, that group has a market already. So the black market will actually emerge because of higher prices. And so people will actually steal something for someone or a group of people.
Chapter 7: What is the psychology behind the 'friend zone'?
So they already have a buyer for some of these products. With chocolate, You're not in a hurry. You don't have to be in a hurry. You can actually store it for a while.
Interesting. Now, when prices of commodities go up, I suppose people are more likely to steal them. Side note, we're not advocating theft here. You mentioned chocolate futures in the past being at an all-time high. I mean, eventually there's only so much demand and supply is variable.
Chapter 8: Why do consumers struggle with ethical shopping?
The supply will go up. Are prices set to drop from here? Is my chocolate bar going to be cheaper in the future?
That's a really good question because right now, since November, I would say that we've seen Cocoa Futures drop, I mean, dramatically. They're below $3,500 US a metric ton now. That's a huge drop in just a few months. So a lot of people were asking me, are my Valentine's Day chocolate going to be cheaper? No, not for this year. Maybe for next year.
I do wonder, though, just because a metric ton is cheaper for a manufacturer to buy, will they then lower the price or have they basically tricked us as consumers to spend 20 bucks on the chocolate box? They know that we're still willing to do it.
So they just take a higher margin and lower cocoa prices in like raw cocoa prices or I guess processed whatever doesn't mean that my box of beloved Valentine's chocolate price will go down.
You raise a good point. Nobody really knows. It just gives the ability for... So whenever I'm asked a question, will chocolate be cheaper? Will coffee be cheaper? Or whatever commodities... Because the correlation between commodity prices and retail prices is very weak.
Yeah.
To your point. Yeah. So if one drops, it doesn't mean the other drops. It just means that the industry has a greater ability to manage margins, essentially. So you may see lost leaders, you may see deals here and there, but the bottom line is that Yes. It's like the tide. You know, the tide, when you see a dock, the water goes up and it leaves a line. That's the mental line in all of us.
So markets, companies know that we actually have kept that line in our minds. So we're willing to pay more for chocolate and that will remain in our minds. And they know that. And so it's the same for everything else. It's just, you could see more lost leaders in the market. That's basically what happens.
Yeah.
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