Chewing gum helps students concentrate

Chewing gum has appeared a long time ago, but it did not look exactly the way we used to. In ancient epochs people used completely different materials: the tobacco of the first Americans, the resin of the ancient Greeks, the frozen larch juice of the Siberian peoples, and the rubber of the Maya tribes.

Modern chewing gum appeared in 1848. Today, it is impossible to imagine our life without it. Many experts scold this product, accuse it of problems with teeth. Dentists cannot agree on how the chewing gum changes health. It affects not only the teeth, but also the brain. Let’s find out what effect a simple chewing gum exerts.

Memory and attention
American, British and Japanese scientists have found that chewing gum helps people to think better. This is due to the increased activity of the brain departments that are responsible for memory, as well as an increase in heart rate and active insulin production. If you chew when solving complex tasks that require concentration and attention, the result will improve
significantly. Chewing gum positively affects long-term memory. Its useful properties were confirmed by tests. A group of people participated in an experiment that required the solution of certain tasks. Subjects who chewed the gum dealt with them better and gave answers faster than others. This difference became noticeable at the end of the experiment when the participants felt tired. At first, the best answers were provided by a group that did not chew a gum. The test proved that the chewing gum allows concentrating when solving complex problems that require time and attention. Therefore, it helps at work or in the process of studying.

However, short-term memory suffers. It contains images that are not colored emotionally and disappear after a few minutes. For example, when we cannot find the keys that just were in our hands, it is a gap in a short-term memory. We mechanically put the keys in a certain place, but cannot remember what exactly. Chewing the gum is a mechanical, monotonous movement that distracts from remembering such trifles. During the experiment, it was confirmed that people who used chewing gum for a long time are often inattentive to details.

Influence on hunger
Many students cannot concentrate precisely because of the appearance of hunger during a long lecture. However, no one will let you to demonstratively take a sandwich from the bag and eat it in front of the teacher. When a person chews the gum, the process of absorbing food is imitated. The brain receives signals that stimulate the nerve endings, so we feel a sense of satiety.

But in this regard, the benefits and harm of chewing gum are still being discussed. For example, another study conducted at the Ohio University has shown that mint chewing gum stimulates the increase in weight due to a higher calorie value. Although this taste is most actively bought up. Such chewing gum contains special chemicals that reduce the attractiveness of healthy food. In the course of the experiment, it was found that after using this product, people eat fewer vegetables or fruits, and more prefer chips or sweets. Useful meals seem tasteless, unpleasant and even bitter. The menthol is responsible for this.

Freedom from stress
Also, anxiety hinders concentration. Studies of British scientists have shown how chewing gum affects our psychological state. It calms us, relieves from worries. Researches relate this effect to the sensations of infantile age when a person simply consumes breast milk, does not experience nervous tension. With the help of chewing gum, you can easily get rid of anxiety. It also helps to absorb new knowledge.

It is not necessary to go far for examples. Just recall the rural landscapes in your memory. Cows are the most serene creatures. In part, their peace of mind is due to the fact that they constantly chew grass, in fact, also a kind of chewing gum. So-called handgum, which is on sale already quite a long time, may be found in many shops. This product has exactly the same effect on the body as usual chewing gum. The only difference is that you just need to crumple it in your hands. There are different smells. The special texture issimilar to plasticine. Handgum takes any form, but does not get dirty and does not stick to your hands.

It’s not just entertainment. Gum for hands positively affects our state of health. Periodically crumpling or stretching it, you may not only get rid of stress or fatigue but also train creative thinking.

Everyone knows that massage of certain points of the body can affect the internal organs. Handgum improves fine motor skills, develops the muscles of the hands. The brain receives impulses which are responsible for the movement of the fingers. Along with this, zones influencing the speech are stimulated, since they are located in the neighborhood. Therefore, handgum not only trains hands but also exerts a beneficial effect on the mind. A chewing gum with caffeine was developed in the USA in 1998. Its impact does not differ from a cup of strong coffee. Two years after the invention of a caffeine chewing gum, it entered the military program on studying fatigue. During the experiments, it was proved that chewing gum improves metabolism, reduces appetite, and caffeine positively affects the reaction rate and memory. In addition, caffeinated chewing gum can increase physical endurance.

So, despite the active criticism, chewing gum has many useful properties. Surprisingly, even this ordinary product makes science move forward actively. The use and harm of chewing gum is a matter of constant controversy, uninterrupted to this day. If you also want to participate in a dispute and prepare an academic paper on this topic, carefully collect and check information or contact a professional essay writing service (for example, https://pro-papers.com).

Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

x