Why Valentine’s Day makes roses and chocolates more appealing

We tend to think of our likes and dislikes as stable. For example, you either like chocolate or you don’t. You either find roses romantic or you find them cliché. But what if your feelings about them subtly change based on what’s going on in our cultural environment?

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many of us are starting to think about the classic symbols of love (e.g., roses, chocolates, candlelight dinners). But do the holidays really change the way we think about these everyday objects? Research on a large sample of U.S. adults suggests this is indeed the case. As Valentine’s Day approaches, people think more positively of roses and chocolates than at other times of the month, even if no one mentions the holiday at all.

In this article, we’ll explore the findings of this study and what it reveals about how cultural events shape our attitudes in ways we may not be aware of.

American Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is one of the largest consumer holidays in the United States. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent an estimated $27.5 billion on Valentine’s Day last year. The most common gift? Candy (56%) and flowers (40%). Hundreds of millions of roses are prepared and sold, and more than half of Americans buy chocolate or other candy.

Over time, these items became more than just products. They have become symbols. Roses symbolize romance. Chocolate symbolizes indulgence and love. They are integrated into the cultural script of how love is expressed on this particular day.

Culture Kick-off and Valentine’s Day

Long-term research by psychologists start upor the idea that exposure to certain cues can make it easier for our minds to understand related thoughts and feelings. Most priming studies take place in the laboratory, where researchers deliberately expose participants to specific words, images, or ideas to see how it affects subsequent judgments.

What’s striking about this study is that no one had to say “Valentine’s Day.” The calendar itself does the job.

Researchers propose that the holidays may serve as naturally occurring cultural primes. As Valentine’s Day approaches, culturally shared associations (e.g., love, romance, gift-giving) become more prominent. These associations can influence how we evaluate items closely associated with the holiday.

In other words, roses and chocolate may feel more attractive not because they have changed but because the cultural moment around them has changed.

Chocolate and rose reviews

In the study, participants saw three images: a red rose, a box of chocolates, and an ad for an online dating product. Dating apps serve as comparison objects—something associated with love and connection, but not necessarily classic Valentine’s Day symbols. Participants then rated how much they liked each image on a scale from “dislike at all” to “like very much.” Importantly, this holiday is never mentioned. The researchers simply collected responses on different days throughout February.

The main finding is that as Valentine’s Day approaches, evaluations of roses and chocolate become more positive. This shift is not significant, but it is consistent and statistically reliable.

Overall, women tended to evaluate roses and chocolate more positively than men. However, the “Valentine’s Day effect” occurs across genders and relationship statuses. Even people who were single or not seeking a relationship showed the same increase in positivity.

Interestingly, dating apps don’t show the same pattern. This suggests that the effect is more than just “thinking about love” in general. It specifically targets objects with culturally iconic Valentine’s Day symbols.

How does culture influence our perceptions?

This study highlights something important: Our attitudes are not as fixed as we think. They respond to their environment. They move forward with our culture. As Valentine’s Day approaches, roses and chocolate become even more culturally important. Even without realizing the impact of the holidays, increased correlations appear to move evaluations in a more positive direction.

The authors believe this reflects culturally shared connections rather than just personal memories. We don’t have to have a perfect Valentine’s Day in the past, and cultural scripts can cloud our judgment. It is enough to live in a society where roses and chocolates symbolize romance.

If a simple shift in the calendar can make certain items appear more attractive, it raises a broader question: How many of our personal preferences simply echo what our culture tells us we should want at a certain time?

It’s not just flowers and candy, either. As February 14th approaches, will cards, jewelry or lingerie also get a sentimental boost? Broadening the scope, how does wedding season, Pride Month, or the winter holidays change the way we evaluate the symbols associated with these events?

Cultural moments don’t just affect what we buy. They may subtly shape how we feel. And this effect may occur much more frequently than we realize.

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Header image created in Canva; chart from National Research Council