Chewing gum boosts mental focus, but the effect dies after about 20 minutes. Frontal Cortex blogger Jonah Lehrer explores the neuroscience behind this strange relationship.
Why do people chew gum? If an anthropologist from Mars ever visited a typical supermarket, they’d be confounded by those shelves near the checkout aisle that display dozens of flavored gum options. Chewing without eating seems like such a ridiculous habit, the oral equivalent of running on a treadmill. And yet, people have been chewing gum for thousands of years, ever since the Ancient Greeks began popping wads of mastic tree resin in their mouth to sweeten the breath. Socrates probably chewed gum.
It turns out there’s an excellent rationale for this long-standing cultural habit: gum is an effective booster of mental performance, conferring all sorts of benefits without any side-effects. via Wired
