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This is Your Brain on Gum

Multi-tasking got you feeling a little unfocused? With so many daily distractions, it can be hard to keep your head in the game. It's no wonder people are seeking simple and convenient ways to increase their focus and concentration. And chewing gum may help.

In fact, people in the know are already using chewing gum to help improve focus, concentration and alertness. Professional athletes and coaches seem to chew gum to "stay in the game." Since World War I, the U.S. Armed Forces have supplied chewing gum to the field and in combat rations. And, in schools today, some teachers are reversing school policies against chewing gum and are encouraging students to chew during tests to help increase their alertness and concentration.

Similarly, finding a test-taking edge for finals may be as easy as reaching for a stick of gum, according to students in an introductory marketing class at Cornell University who were given Wrigley's 5^TM gum by their professor. A non-scientific informal survey [Download PDF] of the 591 students found that students who chewed 5 gum prior to, and during, test-taking said they had better scores on the exam than those who didn't chew gum. Students who chewed gum during the exam reported a mean score of 90; students who chewed the whole pack of 5 gum before the exam reported a mean score of 86; while those who chewed no gum at all reported a mean score of 60.

Research conducted in the area of chewing gum and cognitive performance is complex, but results are emerging on a number of fronts. In fact, a research study [Download PDF] conducted at the University of Northumbria showed that chewing gum appeared to improve people's ability to learn, retain and retrieve information. The results showed that gum chewers' scores were 24 percent higher than the control group on tests involving immediate word recall and 36 percent higher than controls on tests involving delayed word recall.¹ While this initial research is promising, more research is necessary to understand the role of chewing gum in attention and concentration.

¹ Wilkinson L., Scholey A., Wesness K. "Chewing gum selectively improves memory in healthy volunteers." Appetite. 2002; 38 (3): 235-236.

5 is a trademark of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

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