Coffee Helps You Stay Persistent Under Stress
Dubai – Qahwa World
Coffee is already famous for keeping people awake and alert, but new research suggests it may do more than that. A study published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental reveals that caffeine can boost persistence in the face of complex or even unsolvable tasks, particularly when individuals are under stress.
The experiments, conducted by researchers at Amherst College in the United States, involved 329 student participants. Each was asked to perform tasks deliberately designed with unsolvable elements. In the first experiment, a low dose of caffeine amounting to 40 milligrams, roughly half a cup of coffee, had no measurable effect. In the second, a higher dose of 100 milligrams — about the same as a standard cup of coffee — encouraged participants to continue longer in a visual search task, although the effect did not carry over to a verbal task.
The strongest outcome came in the third experiment, which introduced mild stress through a cold-water immersion test. Students who experienced stress and consumed 100 milligrams of caffeine persisted significantly longer than the control group. By contrast, participants who had not been exposed to stress showed a slight decline in persistence after drinking caffeine.
Researchers believe the effect may be linked to the way caffeine stimulates neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and adenosine, which are tied to motivation and attention. Stress hormones, particularly cortisol, appear to amplify this response, enhancing the brain’s receptivity to stimulants. A summary of the findings published by PsyPost noted that persistence in the visual task rose from 38 percent to 52 percent of the allotted time when caffeine was combined with stress, underlining the importance of context in determining the outcome.
The authors of the study caution that these findings are preliminary and highlight several limitations. Some participants reached the maximum time limit for the tasks, potentially affecting the results, and differences in regular caffeine use among individuals were not fully accounted for. They recommend further studies using physiological measures and brain imaging techniques to clarify the mechanisms behind the effect.
Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, and billions rely on it every day to stay focused and productive. This study suggests its benefits may go beyond alertness, potentially helping people push through challenges in stressful situations. While more evidence is needed, the research adds to the growing body of knowledge about how coffee shapes not only our energy but also our resilience.
