The morning coffee is good. According to recently published research in Scientific Reportsit would improve our mood. This effect on morale would be much more pronounced in the morning, compared to the rest of the day. These works were carried out by researchers from the University of Bielefeld, Germany, and the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom.
Coffee: Improvement of mood after the morning cup
They recruited 236 young German adults. For four weeks, participants filled questionnaires on their smartphone seven times a day, indicating their mood of the moment and if they had consumed a caffein drink in the previous 90 minutes. By analyzing the answers, the researchers found that the participants declared that they feel significantly happier and more enthusiastic on the mornings where they had consumed coffee compared to the other days, at the same time, where they had not yet drunk coffee. “”We were somewhat surprised not to see any difference between individuals with different levels of caffeine consumption or different degrees of depressive symptoms, anxiety or sleep disorders, Notes Justin Hachenberger, of the University of Bielefeld in Germany. The links between caffeine consumption and positive or negative emotions were relatively constant in all groups.”
Scientists expected people with a high level of anxiety feeling negative mood changes, such as increased nervousness, after consuming caffeine. But they point out that people who react negatively to caffeine can avoid it and that the study did not include people completely refraining from caffeine.
Why does the morning coffee make us in a good mood?
According to the authors, the stimulating effect of caffeine on morning mood could be explained by its effects on adenosine receptors in the brain. “”Caffeine acts by blocking adenosine receptors, which can increase the activity of dopamine in key regions of the brain – an effect that studies have associated with an improvement in mood and greater vigilance “, specifies the professor Anu Realo of the University of Warwick.
Researchers recall, however, that caffeine exposes to a risk of dependence. Overconsumption of caffeine can have negative health effects, especially on sleep.
