Psychophysiological effects of gum chewing on cognitive performance: A gender-based comparative study

Abstract

Background: Chewing before performing a cognitive task increases oxygen levels in the Central Nervous System (CNS) areas important for processes of learning and memory. This study was done to evaluate and compare the effects of chewing gum on reaction time, visual short term memory, selective attention, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and problem-solving ability in healthy male and female subjects. The comparative, gender-based, interventional study was conducted involving 300 individuals placed in the control (n=150) and interventional group (n=150). Participants in the interventional group were required to chew gum till they completed the task. A questionnaire was designed to record the reaction time, memory, attention, executive and intellectual functioning and time took to solve each parameter. Each subject in both control and interventional group completed the questionnaire with and without chewing gum, respectively. Results for the two groups were compared using SPSS version 20.0. Results: It was found that the gum chewing group performs significantly better than the control group, thus chewing gum significantly improves cognitive performance. These cognitive effects of chewing were comparable among the two genders but relatively more pronounced among male participants as compared to females. Conclusion: Chewing gum is positively associated with higher level of cognitive performance than controls.