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Updated September 19th, 2021 at 22:11 IST

Peking University study reveals drinking tea can improve brain power and problem-solving

Experiments were undertaken by Peking University researchers to explore if drinking tea could boost our ability to perform so-called convergent thinking. 

Reported by: Aparna Shandilya
tea
Image: Pixabay | Image:self
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A study has discovered that drinking a cup of tea boosts brain power and improves performance in creative tasks. This should come as great news for tea lovers.

Experiments were undertaken by Peking University researchers to explore if drinking tea could boost our ability to perform so-called convergent thinking. This is the type of problem that we answer by applying a set of well-defined rules and logical reasoning to arrive at a solution.

The findings show that regular tea consumption may offer cognitive benefits in addition to the health benefits that have been postulated, such as longer life. The research was carried out by psychologist Lei Wang and colleagues from Peking University in China.

"Our findings imply that tea can aid mental performance when confronted with a particularly difficult activity," Dr Wang said.

"It also helps people remain in that work without fatigue. Our findings also imply that regular tea users experience more cognitive benefits than occasional tea drinkers," she added.

The researchers gathered a total of 100 people for their study and assigned them to either complete word association tasks or riddles of varying degrees of difficulty. To begin, each participant was given either a cup of water or a cup of Lipton's black tea, both of which were heated to roughly 108°F (42°C).

When given a creative job with a high level of complexity, the researchers discovered that tea drinkers performed better than water drinkers. When the assignment was of a lower difficulty level, however, the effects of a cup of tea were relatively negligible.

Furthermore, as the subjects progressed through the second half of their tests, tea was found to be connected with more persistent problem-solving - a phenomenon the researchers have named the 'split-half effect.'

Moreover, the researchers discovered that the tea drinkers were happier and more involved in the activity than the water-drinking participants.

"The findings have significant practical implications for persons engaged in creative activity or who are prone to weariness," the researchers concluded.

Image: Pixabay

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Published September 19th, 2021 at 22:11 IST

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