Have you ever noticed how much brighter the world seems when you drink your morning coffee? There should be no surprise there given that caffeine has long been linked to mood-enhancing and cognitive benefits. However, there is another way that coffee sets us up for success. Caffeine boosts our brain's capacity to process positive inputs, according to research. In other words, after that morning cup, we are physically boosting the good!
Researchers at the University of Buchum in Germany were investigating the effect of caffeine in dopaminergic transmission in the brain when they noticed the relationship. They assert that when our intake of coffee rises, we have a positive edge in our left hemisphere (the area most associated with language). As a result, after a cup or two of coffee, our brains are better able to notice and comprehend words with positive meanings than words with neutral or negative connotations.
Simply put, after a caffeine surge, we can process positive information more quickly and accurately. According to research, 200 milligrams of caffeine, which is equivalent to two cups of coffee, will suffice. The coffee enthusiasts among us have good news!
Concerning the study
Kuchinke and Lux recruited 66 healthy subjects who said they consumed "normal" amounts of caffeine for their study (on average, 1.58 cups of coffee per day). A 200-milligram caffeine tablet was given to one set of individuals, the caffeine group, while a sugar tablet was given to the placebo group.
Each group used their tablet 30 minutes before taking a word recognition test in which genuine words with various meanings (positive, neutral, or negative) were presented alongside pseudo-words, which are collections of letters that have the same feel as real words but are lexically meaningless. Participants had to recognize the terms fast and properly before rating them on a Likert scale from 1 (calm) to 7 (comfortable) (highly arousing).
The findings showed that while analyzing positive terms, the caffeine group did noticeably better. Words that were neutral or negative were both recognized in the same way.