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Chewing gum and impasse-induced self-reported stress.
Laura K Torney1, Andrew J Johnson, Christopher Miles
1Department of Psychology, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK.
Appetite
|July 22, 2009
Summary
Chewing gum did not reduce self-rated stress during an insoluble anagram task. This study suggests gum
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Chewing gum has been proposed to reduce stress.
- Previous research indicated chewing gum alleviates negative mood and cortisol during stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if chewing gum reduces self-rated stress during an insoluble anagram task.
- To examine the effect of chewing gum on stress and task performance.
Main Methods:
- A between-participants design with 40 individuals.
- Participants completed insoluble and soluble anagram tasks with or without chewing gum.
- Self-rated stress, calmness, and contentedness were measured at baseline, post-stressor, and post-recovery.
Main Results:
- The insoluble anagram task increased self-rated stress and decreased calmness and contentedness.
- Chewing gum did not significantly mediate the experienced stress levels.
- Chewing gum did not enhance performance on the soluble anagram task.
Conclusions:
- The findings do not generalize previous research on chewing gum and stress reduction to impasse-induced stress with social components.
- The impossibility of the anagram task may negate potential stress-reducing benefits of chewing gum.
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