Is Caffeine All In Your Head?

Tue, Aug 18, 15 by Jim Couch

Think you need caffeine to wake up in the morning?  It may be all in your head.  A new study from the University of London suggests the energy jolt people experience when drinking coffee may just be in the mind of the drinker.  The researchers studied a group of London students, divided into four groups by gender and whether or not they were receiving caffeinated coffee.  Some students believed they were drinking caffeinated coffee, when in reality it was actually decaf.

As it turns out, all of the students who believed they were drinking caffeinated coffee had improved attention and increased the speed at which they completed a card-sorting task.  However, the increased attention only occurs if you think you are drinking caffeinated coffee, and not decaf.  So, if you’re accidentally drinking decaf one morning chances are you’ll be just as alert as you normally would be with caffeinated coffee!