Caffeine Boosts Your Ability To Problem Solve

It's not my go-to magazine of choice but every now and then the journal Consciousness and Cognition will have an article of interest that.....Ok,..stop... let's be honest, I have never read that Journal.  But I do see EurekAlerts on line with their  synopses of various studies and research projects and many of them are interesting, relatable and worth sharing...like this one about the impacts of caffeine.

KIT listeners lover their coffee and we love giving away coffee cards from Cafe 11th Avenue.   Some love coffee for the taste, others love the rituals of the coffee habit, but most point to the boost in alertness, enhanced focus and improved motor performance that coffee's caffeine  provides.  University of Arkansas researchers found caffeine doesn’t just speed things up-- it also can boost your ability to problem solve.

But while caffeine will give you a kick, one thing caffeine doesn't do is kick up your creativity.  Here's how they know.

Study participants were given caffeine equivalent to one strong cup of coffee and then they reported the results.  The subjects experienced a significantly enhanced ability to problem solve. As a side note, they also reported feeling less sad. (we'll all drink to that)

However, researchers found the caffeine had no impact on the creative process, the creative thinking of test subjects.  It didn't make it worse but it didn't make it better.  So if it's the kick and not creativity, If it's a fabulous focus you hope to find, by all means proceed with your caffeine powered energy drinks and coffee.....keep it tuned to KIT and each morning we'll provide the coffee cards! (thanks Cafe 11th Ave.)