Chewing Gum Increases Focus

Question

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4449949/#:~:text=Chewing%20gum%20has%20enhanced%20sustained,performance%20%5B6%2C%207%5D.

According to National Institutes of Health, chewing gum has enhanced sustained performance in previous research. It is proven to enhance both alertness and attention. it also states that chewing gum can decrease stress levels as well as anxiety. I think that overall, this claim is true.

Answer 1

This claim is true. 

In a study done in 2013, two groups of 20 people listened to a 30 minute recording that contained a sequence of numbers. One group chewed gum, the other did not. Results showed that the group chewing gum during the recording had higher accuracy results than the group that did not chew any. Gum increases the flow of oxygen to the brain. Which can allow people to remain alert on tasks. https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/gum-chewing-may-improve-concentrati-13-03-26/

Chewing gum has also been found to enhance productivity during the workday. Including workdays for students. "Chewing gum has reduced anxiety and reported stress induced by an acute social stressor, although other studies have not found a reduction on acute stress or anxiety." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4449949/

While gum increases blood flow to the brain linking memory and learning, its factors can help you stay awake. Chewing gum can act as an inexpensive and safe way to reduce stress. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/open-gently/202309/anxious-chewing-gum-may-help

These studies and articles show that chewing gum regularly can increase focus and attentiveness. 

Answer 2

According to an article by Scientific American, "researchers say that gum increases the flow of oxygen to regions of the brain responsible for attention.". Which leads me to assume that this claim is correct.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/gum-chewing-may-improve-concentrati-13-03-26/ 

Comments

The link you attached doesn't work for me, but I found it online using the quote you provided (I've reattached the podcast link below). The source is from 2013 so it's a bit outdated. However, I agree with your conclusion because I found more recent studies, such as the one from 2019 attached below, corroborating the original claim.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/gum-chewing-may-improve-concentrati-13-03-26/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31125164/

Answer 3

This claim comes from BioMed Research, a trusted publisher that puts out peer reviewed studies. The claim that chewing gum helps with focus is backed up by the content of the study. 

"Chewing gum has enhanced sustained attention performance in previous research [3, 4], consistent with an alerting effect of chewing gum [4–6]. There is some evidence that this effect may be moderated by time-on-task, with the ameliorating effect of gum being greater following a long period of performance [6, 7]."

In addition, an academic article from the University of Newcastle supports this claim with similar findings. 

"Chewing gum can be an inexpensive and effective way to help relieve anxiety and boost attention."

https://www.newcastle.edu.au/hippocampus/story/2023/can-chewing-help-manage-stress

This claim appear to be true. 

Answer 4

A test conducted from an article states that the results of chewing gum are correlated to greater alertness and an increase in mood. Reaction times also increased with gum condition, which increased with the difficulty of the task. Chewing gum also improved heart rate, and cortisol levels were higher when chewing. The article states, “Conclusions: Overall, the results suggest that chewing gum produces a number of benefits that are generally observed and not context-dependent. In contrast to some previous research, chewing gum failed to improve memory. Further research is now required to increase our knowledge of the behavioral effects of chewing gum and to identify the underlying mechanisms.”

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41407501_Effects_of_chewing_gum_on_cognitive_function_mood_and_physiology_in_stressed_and_non-stressed_volunteers

Answer 5

According to the National Institute of Health, chewing gum can be linked to alertness and a prolonged attention span. This is because of our brains ability to sense the taste, which activates our brains to be more awake. The article continues to explain that an individual who habitually chews gum is less likely to report having high signs of stress and anxiety, then an individual who does not. 

An article produced by Psychology Today supports the argument that chewing gum can in fact help with the feeling of being anxious. The action of chewing gum can lower your cortisol levels, which is directly related to your stress levels, as well as increase blood flow to your brain. Because of these factors, chewing gum while studying has been linked to better test scores for high school and college students. 

 In an podcast produced by Scientific America, the author similarly argues that chewing gum can support blood flow to the parts of your brain that are in control of your attention, such as your prefrontal cortex. The speakers in the podcast continue to explain how researchers took 2 groups of 20 people and played the same video for each group at the same time. Except only one group was able to chew gum. The group of gum chewers were able to answer follow up questions on the video more accurately and with a faster response time. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/open-gently/202309/anxious-chewing-gum-may-help 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/gum-chewing-may-improve-concentrati-13-03-26/