Looking for a simple but effective way to improve your performance on an upcoming exam? What if we told you that simply chewing gum while studying can improve your test performance as one of your primary exam preparation techniques?
It sounds crazy, but some research supports a link between chewing gum and improved performance.
Researchers were unable to determine why gum improves memory, attention, and cognitive reasoning skills (among other things), but the findings of various studies clearly demonstrated that it does. Most likely, the minimal physical activity required for chewing has an effect similar to that of more strenuous tasks, thereby improving test performance.
But be warned: while chewing gum while studying or before a test can help you for a while, the effect will not last long, especially if you continue chewing during the test; it will simply become a distraction. Here are the details.
It appears too good to be true. Can chewing gum help you score better on tests? Although it is not the only factor in success, studies show that chewing gum while studying can improve exam performance.
Serge Onyper, an assistant professor of psychology at St. Lawrence University, conducted a study that found that students who chewed gum for five minutes before taking a test performed better than non-gum chewing students. In the study, participants were given a “battery of cognitive tasks” and chewed gum either before or during testing. Participants’ performance was compared to those who had not chewed gum prior to the exam.
This boost is attributed to “mastication-induced arousal,” which warms up the brain by increasing blood flow to it. This small effect is said to last for about 20 minutes of testing. According to the study, one possible explanation for why the benefits did not persist throughout testing is “a sharing of resources by cognitive and masticatory processes.”
Interestingly, chewing gum while studying may improve your focus by simply keeping your fidgeting brain active. This allows you to focus solely on one thing rather than jumping from one thought to the next.
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