Coffee is day-altering. Pretty much all of us know that. But did you know coffee changes the way you feel about other people? Let us explain.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, two things about coffee were found that resonate well with us. The study proved that a moderate consumption of coffee before a group activity enhances an individual’s participation in said activity. We all KINDA knew that already, but wait for it: drinking coffee gets better. The study also found that consuming coffee before a group activity had a positive correlation with a better attitude toward others and their work. As in, coffee makes you a team player, and therefore, a more likable person.
Here’s how the study concluded this: There were two experiments. For the first one, participants (who were college students) were separated into two groups; one was asked to drink 12 ounces of coffee, while the other was not. Each person in both groups was asked to spend 15 minutes reading about the Occupy Wall Street movement before chatting about it with everyone else. The researchers measured these conversations with a quantifiable point system, and all participants were asked to complete a self-eval once they finished their “task.”
The results of experiment one:
The students who had consumed coffee “delivered a higher quality of arguments when working through simple group activities” and “had more of them.” Caffeine increased “a group’s focus and encourage[d] each person to participate more in discussions.” Moreover, the coffee-drinkers were more likely to be positive about their own performance *and* everyone else’s performance. Non-coffee drinkers weren’t as stoked about their work or their colleagues’.
Experiment 2 was just a slight alteration of Experiment 1.
Researchers wanted to make sure it was the caffeine itself that made people like other people, not just the act of drinking coffee together. So, they conducted the same experiment with the same reading material but instead of giving one group coffee and not giving coffee to the other group, the scientists secretly gave some participants caffeinated coffee, and other decaf coffee. At the end, the results were the same. Caffeine certainly has something to do with focus as well as how we perceive others (and ourselves).
Study author Vasu Unnava concluded to Psypost, “if you are a coffee drinker, it looks like coffee helps you do better in group tasks.”
So what all of this means? Drink coffee, and you’ll be way happier with people at work, school, or anywhere else where you’re tasked with working closely with others.
And if you’re scared drinking coffee is bad for you, fear not. Contrary to popular belief coffee is not *that* bad for your health. There are studies that show coffee boosts metabolism rates. Moreover, according to USDA, there is only one calorie in a black 8oz cup of coffee. The rumored high-calorie count comes from the creams and sweeteners that are added to it. Cup of coffee with some soy milk or non-fat milk (or just black)? All the thumbs up. If that’s your lifestyle.
