Everyone may all have the experience of feeling anxious and stressed when having a rough day or having some troubles. Different people may choose different ways to deal with it, and for most people a break for a 10-minute walk may be quite useful.
Anyway, here is another way around: to get a piece of chewing gum, and chew it. According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to “relieve anxiety, improve alertness(机敏性) and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.”
Some may argue that a laboratory is not the same as an office. But check out the conditions of the study: individuals were monitored while performing “a group of ‘multi-tasking’ activities.” Doesn’t it sound like the situation in the office?
Here’s a summary of some of the study’s findings:
Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in appropriate stress.
Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.
Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a big improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.
Although these aren’t major improvements, every little bit works and chewing a piece of gum is a lot quicker and easier than slipping outside for a 10-minute walk. So, how does gum work this magic? In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol(皮质醇)—a steroid(类固醇) hormone that is released in response to stress in your system.
A few words of advice before you reach for the gum: don’t crack your gum, and be sure to chew it with your mouth closed. In fact, I’d say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you.
小题1:From the study in the text we know that_________________.
A．gum chewers may lack alertness
B．gum chewers tend to be less stressed
C．gum chewers can finish many jobs perfectly
D．gum chewers can reduce their anxiety and anger easily小题2:How does gum work to reduce stress according to the text?
A．It works by improving alertness.
B．It works by allowing a 10-minute walk.
C．It works by reducing one’s level of cortisol.
D．It works by being chewed in a laboratory setting.小题3:Which one may the author probably agree with?
A．People should chew gum with their mouths closed in a meeting.
B．It is impolite to chew gum in a meeting with people around you.
C．People can crack gum freely when meeting friends.
D．People should be careful when chewing gum at home.小题4:What does the text mainly talk about?
A．How to chew gum.
B．How to relieve stress.
C．Why people love chewing gum.
D．Chewing gum can relieve stress.
