Chewing Gum Boosts Brainpower! – TeacherToolkit
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Is chewing gum truly good for instructing and studying?
Neuroimaging reveals that chewing gum stimulates the mind and helps stress aid, consideration, and application—however results are short-lived.
All these years I spent following the varsity coverage, telling college students off for chewing gum and setting them with a detention. Moreover it being caught beneath the varsity desk or attaching itself to your trousers., who knew the advantages?
This new analysis affords a neuroimaging evaluate of chewing gum and its influence on the mind.
Printed in June 2025, The Neural Correlates of Chewing Gum (Chmiel & Malinowska, 2025) explores how chewing gum influences consideration, stress, and application via activation of mind networks utilizing MRI and EEG (magnetic resonance imaging, and electroencephalogram) to report mind exercise.
Chewing gum, typically discouraged in school rooms, is proven to activate the mind’s sensorimotor, attentional, and emotional networks.
What I discover fascinating about this analysis is all the same old ‘consuming at school’ messages that we’re instructed, and the habits/guidelines that we implement as lecturers would possibly truly not be useful for studying.
Within the final 40 years or so, we’ve learnt extra in regards to the mind via MRI scans than now we have within the final 4,000 years about something written in regards to the mind. I proceed to search out research like this problem every little thing I find out about instructing and studying.
The research (n = 32 research reviewed) highlights how chewing stimulates areas just like the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate— assume feelings and reminiscence; linked with decision-making and focus. Flavoured gum and stress contexts amplify these results. Whereas the results don’t final lengthy, they’re rapid and measurable, particularly throughout nerve-racking or cognitively demanding duties.
This analysis is related for lecturers managing focus, behaviour and scholar wellbeing.
I ended chewing gum years in the past, however I’d take it up once more!
The proof means that gum chewing can help short-term alertness and scale back stress responses, offering a non-invasive, low–price intervention. Moderately than being simply an annoyance, it might assist college students self-regulate and stay calm in tense conditions like assessments. Flavoured gum and quicker chewing elevated mind exercise and alpha waves—associated to relaxed consciousness.
There’s been a quiet revolution given college students water and bananas earlier than large exams, maybe chewing gum in the course of the examination would possibly work too?
Academics would possibly think about permitting silent chewing throughout assessments or high-stakes duties. Setting floor guidelines—corresponding to “no bubbles, quiet chewing solely”—may assist preserve classroom order. Pilot schemes in SEND settings or throughout SATs and GCSE follow periods might supply a structured strategy to observe results. Utilizing chewing as a part of sensory methods or examination preparation routines may supply advantages for focus and calm.
CPD questions for lecturers:
- How may chewing gum assist college students with anxiousness or consideration points?
- Might a ‘chewing zone’ scale back classroom disruption and help studying?
- Would some topics profit extra from chewing-related alertness boosts?
- How would possibly chewing help college students throughout timed assessments?
- Can gum be built-in into sensory methods for SEND learners?
- How may faculty leaders develop clear guidelines round gum use?
- What considerations do lecturers have about permitting gum at school?
- How would possibly chewing have an effect on scholar behaviour and social dynamics?
- Can lecturers trial gum-chewing throughout revision to help focus?
- Is there scope to incorporate this in wellbeing or examination stress insurance policies?
Academics who see gum as a distraction would possibly need to rethink. With clear boundaries and context-aware use, chewing may very well be reframed as a software for reinforcing mind perform.
The analysis concludes:
Neuroimaging knowledge point out that chewing gum reliably engages broad sensorimotor circuits whereas additionally influencing areas tied to consideration, stress regulation, and probably reminiscence. Unbelievable!
