Effect of chewing gum on stress, anxiety, depression, self‐focused attention, and academic success: A randomized controlled study

Abstract

Chewing gum is thought to increase focus via a reduction in stress and anxiety. Chewing gum contributes to success by improving short-term memory. This study was conducted to determine the effect of chewing gum on stress, anxiety, depression, self-focused attention, and exam success. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a total of 100 students. In the long-term (19 days) and short-term (7 days) chewing gum groups, the pretest scores of depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly higher than the posttest scores. Although the posttest scores on the self-focused attention subscale were higher than the pretest scores in longterm chewing gum group, there was no significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores in this group. The academic success mean scores of the longterm experimental group students were higher than those of the other groups.Students are recommended to chew gum before exams in order to overcome exam stress and to enhance exam success. However, chewing gum is not recommended in the long term for students who have difficulty focussing their attention.

The Effects of Chewing Gum on Reducing Anxiety and Stress: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…Five studies were conducted in the UK, two are in Austria, and one in Turkey. For gum chewing, the chewing gum group was given spearmint-flavored, sugar-free gum [ 9 , 11 , 20 ], one was given extra spearmint and gum base [ 16 ], one was given sugarless [ 10 ], or sugar-free gum [ 23 ], and unclear [ 19 ].…”

“…The results suggest that chewing gum was a cost-effective and easy to implement a way to reduce stress and get more done [ 8 ]. Chewing gum also has been associated with reduced anxiety [ 9 ], and a recent report proved that long-term chewing gum was effective in reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and improving test scores in school nursing students [ 10 ]. Conversely, some studies showed chewing gum cannot reduce acute stress or anxiety [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Effects of stress on chewing and food intake in patients with anorexia nervosa

“…This fits the results of Keys et al (1950), whereby increased chewing/gum consumption helped regulate the psychological effects of starvation (e.g., distress, anxiety, depression) and food cravings, as suggested by more recent literature (Hetherington & Boyland, 2007; Hetherington & Regan, 2011; Zibell & Madansky, 2009). Increased chewing is also related to decreased cortisol levels (Tahara et al, 2007; Tasaka et al, 2018), stress perception, and anxiety in healthy individuals (Gray et al, 2012; Yaman‐Sözbir, Ayaz‐Alkaya, & Bayrak‐Kahraman, 2019), suggesting a “relaxing” effect, as earlier evidenced (Hollingworth, 1939), and further confirmed (Nishigawa, Suzuki, & Matsuka, 2015; Tasaka et al, 2018) in research related to psychosocial stress (Gray et al, 2012; Sketchley‐Kaye, Jenks, Miles, & Johnson, 2011; Yaman‐Sözbir et al, 2019). Consequently, in the present study, we supposed a relationship between chewing and stress; whereby increased chewing might have acted as a stress regulatory mechanism, but not specific to P AN .…”

Effects of Chewing Gum on Nitric Oxide Metabolism, Markers of Cardiovascular Health and Neurocognitive Performance after a Nitrate-Rich Meal

“…We did not observe an improvement in the cognitive domains of attention and memory, the individual neurocognitive function tests, mood, or anxiety with chewing gum compared to no chewing. Previous studies investigating the effects of chewing on neurocognitive function, mood, and anxiety have reported mixed results with studies observing improvements ( 53), (54), studies observing no effects (55,56) and indeed studies observing negative effects on the ability to perform cognitive tasks (52). Additionally, previous studies investigating the effects of nitrate intake on measures of neurocognitive function report mixed results.…”