Chewing Gums Helps Boost Concentration Levels

In order to boost concentration levels, people turn to some natural remedies and strategies that involve meditation, maintaining a proper diet, exercise and sleep.

The latest study has found another way to boost your concentration - 'chewing gum'. That's right. Chewing gum helps people increase their focus on different tasks that require constant monitoring for a longer time.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Cardiff. For the study, researchers divided the 38 volunteers into two different groups. Each group had to listen to a list of numbers from 1-9 read in a random order. The list was read out to the participants for nearly half an hour. Whenever they came across an odd-even-odd sequence such as three-four-one, the participants had to note it down. One group chewed gum during the task while the other group didn't, reports Health Day.

More accurate answers and quicker reaction time was observed from those volunteers who chewed gum, when compared to those who did not chew gum.

"Interestingly, participants who didn't chew gum performed slightly better at the beginning of the task but were overtaken by the end," Kate Morgan, of Cardiff University, was quoted as saying in Health Day. "This suggests that chewing gum helps us focus on tasks that require continuous monitoring over a longer amount of time."

Reports according to TOI state that the simple act of chewing gum influences nearly eight areas of the brain. Chewing gum leads to momentary enhancement in the flow of blood to the brain cells.

The study was published March 8 in the British Journal of Psychology.