A research study found that people who drink a 12-ounce cup of coffee “showed significantly enhanced problem-solving abilities.”
NEW YORK – Have a client who is being difficult? Are negotiations stalled? Try drinking a cup of coffee, according to the results of one scientific study.
Researchers report in the scientific journal Consciousness and Cognition that the caffeine equivalent of one cup of coffee can improve problem-solving abilities.
Previous research has linked caffeine to the ability to temporarily improve focus, vigilance and motor performance, and an ability to work together more effectively.
“We found that participants who consumed approximately one 12-ounce cup of coffee showed significantly enhanced problem-solving abilities,” the researchers wrote in the study. “The effects remained after controlling for participants’ caffeine expectancies, whether they believed they consumed caffeine or a placebo, or for changes in mood.”
But a cup of coffee won’t make you more creative, Inc.com reports in its analysis of the study’s findings. Instead, it serves as more of a sudden jolt in the process of solving a problem – more of an “aha!” moment.
Source: “Percolating Ideas: The Effects of Caffeine on Creative Thinking and Problem Solving,” Conscious and Cognition and “Science Says Use the 1 Cup of Coffee Rule to Solve Difficult Problems,” Inc.com (April 6, 2022)
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