Core Tip: Research shows that students who chewed gum before tests performed better on several tests, but only for a very short time. The effect was strongest right after chewing and returned to normal after 20 minutes. Students who chewed gum continuously throughout the process did not show any improvement in their performance.
Some studies suggest that chewing gum can enhance cognitive abilities, but the effect is short-lived. It is only effective if the gum is chewed before taking the test; chewing it during the test is ineffective.
Researchers believe that the act of chewing increases blood flow to the head, which might improve memory. In the experiment, participants were asked to recall information as quickly as possible. The improvement in ability caused by chewing gum seems to last only for a few minutes, but scientists still think that chewing gum before a test can help students in some way.
In a report published in the October/11 issue of the journal Appetite, scientists recruited 224 university students at St. Lawrence University in the United States and divided them into three groups. One group chewed gum both before and during the test, one group chewed gum for 4 minutes before the test, and the third group did not chew any gum. The students who chewed gum before the test performed better on several tests, especially in tasks involving recall and memory, but only for a short time. The effect was strongest right after chewing and returned to normal after 20 minutes.
Researchers suggest that this improvement may be because chewing warms up the brain, activating it before the test begins and increasing blood flow, which in turn delivers more energy-providing sugars. Light exercise might produce a similar effect.
The students who chewed gum continuously throughout the entire process did not show any improvement in their performance. Researchers believe this might be because some additional mental effort was used for the act of chewing. This might also explain why some previous similar studies yielded different results, as in those tests, participants chewed gum continuously.
Furthermore, because the experimental participants were specifically asked to chew gum, they might have paid more attention to this action compared to chewing casually in daily life, which could also have had an impact. Researchers noted that in real life, the act of chewing might be more casual and occur automatically without conscious thought.