ADVERTISEMENT
  • Campus
  • Happening
  • Opinion
  • People
  • News
  • #BeInspired
  • Careers
  • 40 under 40
  • Exams
  • What The FAQ
  • Videos
    • Straight Up
    • Odisha Literary Festival 2020
    • Campus Convo
    • Careers After Corona
    • Express Expressions
    • Q&A With Prabhu Chawla
    • ThinkEdu Awards 2020
ADVERTISEMENT
Caffeine

Published: 07th March 2020     

Consuming caffeine won't really boost your creativity, says new US study

Having coffee would probably increase your ability to solve problems but doesn't boost your creativity, says research from the University of Arkansas in the US 

Edex Live
Edex Live

Share Via Email

coffee

Got a Problem? Have a coffee to solve it better

Caffeine increases the ability to focus and solve the problem, but it doesn't stimulate creativity, according to a new study. While the cognitive benefits of caffeine increased alertness, improved vigilance, enhanced focus and improved motor performance are well established, the stimulant's effect on creativity is less known.

"In Western cultures, caffeine is stereotypically associated with creative occupations and lifestyles, from writers and their coffee to programmers and their energy drinks, and there's more than a kernel of truth to these stereotypes," said study researcher Darya Zabelina, Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas in the US.

In the study, published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition, the researchers differentiate "convergent" from "divergent" thinking. The former is defined as seeking a specific solution to a problem, for example, the "correct" answer.

The latter is characterised by idea generation where a large set of apt, novel or interesting responses would be suitable. Caffeine was shown to improve convergent thinking in the study while consuming it had no significant impact on divergent thinking.

For the study, 80 volunteers were randomly given either a 200mg caffeine pill, equivalent to one strong cup of coffee, or a placebo. They were then tested on standard measures of convergent and divergent thinking, working memory and mood.

In addition to the results on creativity, caffeine did not significantly affect working memory, but test subjects who took it did report feeling less sad. The 200mg enhanced problem solving significantly, but had no effect on creative thinking, it also didn't make it worse, so keep drinking your coffee; it won't interfere with these abilities.

The University of Arkansas is a public land-grant, research university in the US

telegram
TAGS
Caffeine Coffee University of Arkansas

O
P
E
N

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
telegram
ADVERTISEMENT
Write to us!

If you have campus news, views, works of art, photos or just want to reach out to us, just drop us a line.

Mailbox
edexlive@gmail.com
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT
Tweets by Xpress_edex
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

FOLLOW US

Copyright - edexlive.com 2021

The New Indian Express | Dinamani | Kannada Prabha | Samakalika Malayalam | Indulgexpress | Cinema Express | Event Xpress

Contact Us | About Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Advertise With Us

Home | Live Now | Live Story | Campus Trip | Coach Calling | Live Take