Chewing Gum: Cognitive Performance, Mood, Well-Being, and Associated Physiology

Recent evidence has indicated that chewing gum can enhance attention, as well as promoting well-being and work performance. Four studies (two experiments and two intervention studies) examined the robustness of and mechanisms for these effects. Study 1 investigated the acute effect of gum on mood in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BioMed research international 2015-01, Vol.2015 (2015), p.1-16
Main Authors: Allen, Andrew P., Smith, Andrew P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Affect - physiology
Alertness (Psychology)
Anxiety
Chewing Gum
Cognition - physiology
Female
Females
Heart rate
Humans
Male
Mastication
Physiological aspects
Physiology
Psychological aspects
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Stress
University students
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Summary:Recent evidence has indicated that chewing gum can enhance attention, as well as promoting well-being and work performance. Four studies (two experiments and two intervention studies) examined the robustness of and mechanisms for these effects. Study 1 investigated the acute effect of gum on mood in the absence of task performance. Study 2 examined the effect of rate and force of chewing on mood and attention performance. Study 3 assessed the effects of chewing gum during one working day on well-being and performance, as well as postwork mood and cognitive performance. In Study 4, performance and well-being were reported throughout the workday and at the end of the day, and heart rate and cortisol were measured. Under experimental conditions, gum was associated with higher alertness regardless of whether performance tasks were completed and altered sustained attention. Rate of chewing and subjective force of chewing did not alter mood but had some limited effects on attention. Chewing gum during the workday was associated with higher productivity and fewer cognitive problems, raised cortisol levels in the morning, and did not affect heart rate. The results emphasise that chewing gum can attenuate reductions in alertness, suggesting that chewing gum enhances worker performance.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141
DOI:10.1155/2015/654806