Science | Does the brain get excited just by seeing coffee?

Just by looking at something associated with coffee, people's brains can become more alert and focused, according to a new University of Toronto study.

Researchers at the University of Toronto studied the "priming effect," by which even subtle cues can influence our thinking and behavior, the report said.

Arousal in psychology refers to how specific areas of the brain are activated into a state of alertness, wakefulness, and focus. It can be triggered by many things, including our emotions, the brain's neurotransmitters, or the caffeinated beverages we drink.

Since people often encounter coffee-related cues in their lives, the researchers wanted to know if there was a link between coffee and arousal and to see if simply exposing people to coffee-related cues would elicit a physiological arousal response, just as if they were actually drinking coffee.

In four separate studies, researchers asked participants raised in both Western and Eastern cultures to brainstorm a name for a new coffee brand and found that simply thinking about it was enough to stimulate arousal and change the way people thought and felt.

The researchers also compared the effects of coffee and tea, and found that participants who thought about coffee-related cues perceived time as shorter than those in the tea group and could think in more specific and precise terms, which has a big impact on how people process information, make judgments and make decisions. Thinking about coffee-related cues also increased participants' heart rates.

But thinking about coffee didn't have as strong an effect on participants who grew up in Eastern cultures. The researchers speculate that it may be that Western culture links coffee with productivity, which is less evident in Eastern cultures.

Another study in 2018 found that the smell of coffee is enough to improve analytical reasoning skills. The experiment found that students who were exposed to the aroma of coffee scored higher on 10 algebra problems than those who were not exposed to the aroma of coffee. Previous studies have also found that letting a sleep-deprived mouse smell coffee can activate the mouse's brain and relieve fatigue-related stress.

It is reported that the University of Toronto has previously conducted a similar priming effect study and found that just looking at the McDonald's logo may reduce people's ability to slow down and enjoy life.

The value of this research lies in understanding a range of consumer-related behaviors and providing a new guide for marketers considering retail store locations.

For example, if you want to attract some customers who can think about future plans, you may want to place the store next to a tea beverage store, because tea beverages will not wake people up and can reduce the interference of current affairs on people.