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Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
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 Posted: 14-Jun-2006 08:52 Post subject: Bizarre Side Effect of Drinking Coffee |
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http://netscape.compuserve.com/homerealestate/package.jsp?name=fte/coffeeyes/coffeeyes&floc=HR-1_T
Compuserve / Netscape doesn't always allow people who aren't subscribers to view their news items, so I'm going ahead and quoting the full article.
Bizarre Side Effect of Drinking Coffee
"Would you like to come up to my place for some coffee?" the tall, handsome man asked his beautiful date. Now we know why he wants to ply her with a steaming mug of java at midnight. It turns out that coffee makes us more persuadable, more likely to say "yes."
That's the word from researchers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, who have determined that after consuming moderate amounts of caffeine, people are more likely to agree with persuasive arguments, report Britain's Times Online and New Scientist. This isn't just big news for lovers. Think about the impact on politics and advertising if you just happen to be sipping a mug of coffee while watching a political speech or listening to an ad.
How does coffee make us so easily persuaded? It happens because caffeine charges up our brain. It's long been known that caffeine sharpens our attention and boosts cognitive performance. Apparently, it also influences us to accept arguments that go against our core beliefs. Lead study author and psychologist Pearl Martin says coffee has this unusual effect because it improves our ability to understand the reasoning behind statements. That is, it makes us more open to the other side and more persuadable.
The study: Nearly 150 students were asked their opinions on several controversial medical practices, such as voluntary euthanasia. Afterwards, each was given an orange-flavored drink to consume. Half the drinks contained about 200 milligrams of caffeine (the equivalent of two cups of coffee), while the other half had no caffeine. Caffeine levels peak in about 40 minutes, so after that much time had passed since they drank the orange beverages, the students read arguments that contradicted the opinions they had already given on these issues. In order to determine if caffeine made the volunteers more open to persuasion because it actually sharpened their mental function or just improved their mood, the researchers added some distracting tasks to the mix. For example, the students were asked to cross out the letter "o" when it appeared in the text or wear headphones and discriminate between high and low notes by pressing a button as they read the arguments, notes New Scientist.
The results: Those who consumed the caffeinated orange drink were more likely to change their point of view than the volunteers who didn't have the caffeine. Not surprisingly, the more distracted they were, the less likely they were to change their mind on a particular subject. That means it is the boost in mental function provided by the caffeine that makes us more persuadable, rather than a mood change.
The takeaway: The next time you drink coffee during a meeting in the office, think about how it may affect what you think or say--or volunteer to do!
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
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Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
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| Posted: 17-Jun-2006 08:28 Post subject: RE: Bizarre Side Effect of Drinking Coffee |
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http://netscape.compuserve.com/whatsnew/default.jsp?story=20060617-0700
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Don't Drink THIS Before You Exercise
If you're planning to exercise later today, make sure you stay away from beverages containing caffeine. Drinking just two cups of coffee before exercise decreases blood flow to the heart while you're working out, and this reduction is most pronounced at high altitudes, reports Reuters of new research from University Hospital Zurich. Healthy people may be able to tolerate the reduced blood flow, but it could be especially harmful to anyone with coronary artery disease.
The study: Led by Dr. Philipp A. Kaufmann, the team used young, healthy adult volunteers to test the effect caffeine had on blood flow to the heart both at rest and after exercise. They ran the tests at normal oxygen levels and then simulated the low oxygen levels that occur at high altitudes. Cardiac blood flow was measured at a baseline and then 50 minutes after the volunteers ingested 200mg of caffeine, which is about the equivalent of two cups of caffeinated coffee.
The results: At normal oxygen levels, caffeine had no effect on resting myocardial blood flow, but at low-oxygen levels, resting myocardial blood flow was significantly increased by caffeine. However, during exercise, caffeine caused a significant decrease in blood flow to the heart at normal and low oxygen levels. Specifically, caffeine caused the myocardial flow reserve to drop off 22 percent at normal oxygen levels and 39 percent at low oxygen levels, reports Reuters.
The takeaway: Skip the caffeine before you get on the treadmill. The study findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Wow. That's two in one week.
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
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