We all know about the health benefits of green tea, but did you know that it can also help improve your mental performance? A recently published study found that even small amounts of green tea or roasted green tea can increase mental performance and mental alertness.
This study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports in which it has been examined what effect drinking green tea or roasted green tea has on the performance of mental tasks compared to drinking plain water. The study included 20 healthy Japanese men with an average age of 23 years. These participants were tasked with completing a five-minute mental arithmetic task six times over two sessions a day.
What happened in the study?
In the first session, participants drank hot water before the first three tasks and then drank hot water again before resting, for a total of four water intakes. In the second session, participants drank green tea or roasted green tea before performing the remaining three tasks and then resting again, a total of four tea intakes.
The procedure was repeated after a month.
This procedure was repeated on the second day after a month, in which the type of tea was changed so that all the participants could consume both types of tea. During the tasks, researchers measured 11 different physiological responses to assess the effects of drinking hot water, green tea, or roasted green tea on performance on mental tasks. They also collected participants' self-assessments on fatigue, stress, mental workload and workflow to support their physiological data.
The results of the study have been quite positive. Researchers found that participants who drank green tea or roasted green tea performed better on mental arithmetic tasks, including:
- increased task accuracy
- decreased reaction time
- reduced fatigue and stress.
Study findings show that even small amounts of green tea or roasted green tea can increase mental performance and alertness. However, it is important to note that this study was rather small and only included men. Future studies need to include women and examine the long-term effects of green tea.
Still, this study is good news for people who want to increase their mental performance. Next time you feel tired or want to be mentally alert, try drinking a cup of green tea or roasted green tea.
