Chewing gum is a highly popular habit reported by hundreds of popular industries of gum makers. Chewing gum is not just for the sake of fun and freshening breath but has a real impact on your mind. As reported by researchers from St. Lawrence University, chewing gum increases your intellectual capabilities, even though for a short period. So, chewing gum does make you smarter as compared to non-chewers.
No Time to Read? Watch this video..
It is possible due to a process named “mastication-induced arousal.” it activates your brain, waking it up and allow it to perform better than usual. It helps you focus on the task at hand and relieves pressure on the brain. It improves your mood, as well. That is because it increases the heart rate and cortisol levels in the body. Chewing gum can help increase alertness and attention. It affects all age groups equally to enhance the mind activeness, proved by a study. Another research found that two weeks of gum-chewing deceased participant’s anxiety and some symptoms of depression.
It is not the sugar content of a gum that plays a role in keeping the mind active, as suggested by some researchers. New studies revealed that both sugar and non-sugar gums perform the same function. Some experts suggest that it may not be the gum itself, but rather the act of chewing that keeps you alert and focused. But the effects of chewing gum may last only as long as its flavor.
Those who chewed gum five minutes before a series of quick tests performed better as compared to now-chewers. But the effect lasted only for the first 20 minutes. That’s because, after 20 minutes, the flavor disappears. So, here comes an excellent tip. Save that juicy flavor of your gum for the hardest part of the test, and then spit it out. A stick of gum can help increase attention, boost mood, and ward off sleepiness.
The researchers kept on discovering more and more to prove this myth that chewing gum makes you smarter. Yes, once it was considered a tale, which got tested at various research centers. It increases your brain capacity to withhold a piece of information. Amy Kraft, of the Scientific American, states that researchers declare that gums boost the flow of oxygen to the attention center of the brain. “More oxygen can keep people alert and improve their reflexes,” reported by Scientific American researchers.
In a research conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine, 108 eighth-grade students from Houston, Texas, the charter school participated. They were divided into two groups: one chewer and other non-chewers while they did their homework. Researchers followed them for 14 weeks. The results concluded that the group that chewed gum received a three-percent increase in their standardized math scores compared to the group that did not chew gum. Secondly, the students who did not chew gum suffered from lower final test grades versus the gum chewers.
In conclusion, it seems that the habit of chewing gum increases your mental capabilities and learning behavior. It boosts your memory, as well. Even though it has not been officially scientifically proven, it has been tested positive in a lot of studies so far. It improves your concentration while solving math problems and handling tasks. You can try chewing for maximum hours of the day, mainly work hours, to see what impact it makes on your brain and memory.
No harmful effects of chewing gum have been reported so far. So, in case, you don’t feel it working, don’t stop chewing as it won’t do you any harm.
Until Next Time,
Team Doctor ASKY!