Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The finding that chewing gum can moderate state anxiety under conditions of acute stress has proved difficult to replicate. The present study examines the extent to which chewing gum can moderate state anxiety under conditions of acute social stress.
METHOD
In a between-participants design, 36 participants completed a task comprising a mock job interview (a variation on the Trier Social Stress Task, which included a mental arithmetic component) while either chewing gum or without chewing gum. Self-rated measures of mood and anxiety were taken at baseline, after a 10-minute presentation preparation stage, after the 10-minute presentation, and following a 5-minute recovery stage.
RESULTS
Post-presentation measures reflected increased state anxiety and decreased self-rated calmness and contentedness. Chewing gum attenuated the rise in state anxiety while increasing self-rated alertness. Chewing gum did not affect contentedness or calmness.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicate that chewing gum can act to reduce anxiety under conditions of acute social stress: a finding consistent with Scholey et al. Furthermore, the data add to the growing body of literature demonstrating that chewing gum can increase alertness.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Sketchley-Kaye K, Jenks R, Miles C, Johnson AJ

Institution

Department of Psychology, Coventry University, Coventry, UK.

Source

Nutritional neuroscience 14:6 2011 Nov pg 237-42

MeSH

Adult
Anxiety
Chewing Gum
Female
Great Britain
Humans
Job Application
Male
Mental Fatigue
Reproducibility of Results
Self Report
Severity of Illness Index
Stress, Psychological
Young Adult

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Randomized Controlled Trial

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22053754