I admit to being a
major java junkie. My wife tells all who will listen how I do not
make intelligible sounds until I've downed my first cup of coffee in
the morning.
“Good morning. I
hope you slept well.”
“Mmmph, grummph,
leeemph, seummph.”
“I see we have a
level three coffee alert. Here is your coffee”
I then take a few
gulps.”
“Ah, thanks, I just
want to confirm, I'm still alive, this is still earth and we have
more coffee.”
“No, no, and no.”
“What?”
“I'm just messing
with you. Everything is fine. It's just fun to see that brief look of
horror and panic on your face.”
“After my next cup of
coffee, I may verbally berate you for having such fun at my expense
during my pre-coffee morning stupor.”
“Before that can
happen, it will take three cups of coffee.”
Now, according to a
study conducted by our neighbors to the north. I can become awake
and alert by just imagining coffee. I wonder if the researchers at
the University of Toronto had their coffee before doing this study.
Below are excerpts from
the story with my valuable insights in italics.
Researchers from the
University of Toronto say that being exposed to things that stoke
thoughts of drinking coffee can stimulate arousal in the brain and
increase one’s alertness and attention similar to the way actually
drinking a cup can. They examined a psychological effect called
priming, in which subtle cues of something familiar can influence
one’s thoughts and behavior.
If I were a participant
in this study, I'm sure they would have told me to go back across the
border soon after it started. I can honestly say there have been
many times when I've had thoughts about coffee. I didn't feel my
brain get aroused or become any more alert. What I felt after
thinking about coffee is a strong desire to go and get some coffee.
My alertness and attention were focused on making coffee in my house
or finding a place to get coffee at the closest restaurant.
I wonder what happens
when an attempt at priming goes terribly wrong and people think of
the wrong things?
“Don't you just love
java?”
“Sorry, I'm not
interested in talking about computer programs.”
“Don't you enjoy
java?”
“Sorry, I've never
been to that Indonesian island.”
“I enjoy the smell of
Java in the morning.”
“Again with the
computer source code.”
“Do you ever drink
coffee?”
“Is that from
Chikmagalur? I understand it is known as Coffee Land of Karnataka.”
“I guess the research
is right. Talking about coffee does get your mind stimulated and
under the right set of circumstances, you want to hit someone.”
People from Western and
Eastern cultures participated in four related studies, comparing
coffee and tea visual cues. Participants exposed to coffee cues
perceived time as shorter and showed more concrete, precise thought
patterns. The authors believe that the effects are the result of
subjective and physiological arousal.
“People
who experience physiological arousal – again, in this case as the
result of priming and not drinking coffee itself – see the world in
more specific, detailed terms,” says Maglio.
Hey, I suppose this
study proves it is not wise to mess with us, coffee drinkers. Unless
you experience what we experience, you don't want to see what happens
when we're engaged in physiological arousal from coffee. We can
instantly get thought patterns that are precise and concrete. We can
see the world in detail just by being given coffee cues. I think
this is because we perceive time between cups of coffee as shorter
and our precise and concrete thought patterns involve getting more
coffee. You don't want to know what happens if you include a doughnut
or chocolate scone cues with the coffee cues. Let's just say, I bet
things would get real serious, real fast.
“In North America, we
have this image of a prototypical executive rushing off to an
important meeting with a triple espresso in their hand,” he says.
“There’s this connection between drinking caffeine and arousal
that may not exist in other cultures.”
Hey, North America is
one of the wealthiest places on the planet earth. I'm sure
executives running around with a triple espresso is a major
contributing factor. After having a triple expresso, they may not be
able to sit down for a meeting and feel the need to run. It's also
possible when we don't have coffee, we're thinking about coffee as
well as world domination. I'm sure there is a connection.
Here is a link to the
story.
https://www.studyfinds.org/study-being-reminded-coffee-increases-alertness-attention/
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If you think THIS is a
little funny. Check out my book
The Longer You Live The
Older You Get
Or my other one
I Speak Cursive Like a
Baby Boomer
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