To that end, researchers conducted a study on some participants who were asked to chew gum for a while. Then the area of their brains were scanned to see which areas are active.
During the 30-minute test, participants pressed a button with the right or left thumb in response to the direction of the arrows on the screen. Men and women who did not chew gum had only 545 milliseconds to react, compared with 493 milliseconds for those who chew. Regions of the brain are most active during chewing is involved with movement and attention, as reported by the Daily Mail (3/2).
Professor Andy Smith of Cardiff University, a leading specialist in the field of health-related behavior, said: “The effect of chewing have a visceral reaction.”
“Our results suggest that increased levels of chewing affects arousal and alertness in addition to the effect on motor control and, as a result, this effect can lead to improved cognitive performance,” said researchers from the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan.
Tags: chewing gum perspicacity