If, like us, you’re guilty of uttering the phrase “don’t talk to me until I’ve finished my coffee” at least twice a week, then you may enjoy this newsflash - you’re not being rude, you’re just wanting to be a team player. Yep, it turns out as well as tasting delicious and giving you your morning caffeine hit, coffee actually improves the quality of teamwork. So tell that to your boss next time you suggest hosting all your afternoon meetings in trendy coffee shops instead of the boring first floor meeting room. You’re just trying to be a better person, that’s all.
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A new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology (trying pronouncing that one before your morning latte) prove that the popular morning pick-me-up boosts your performance during teamwork, due to the fact is helps you stay focused. Researchers at Ohio State University conducted two experiments using undergraduates, split into two groups. The first group were regular coffee drinks who were told to not drink one before the task, but half of the group were given a cup to ‘taste’ at the start of the experiment. The others, they were told, would do this afterwards. Once the caffeine had kicked in, they were split into groups to discuss controversial social and economic issues, and then told to evaluate their performance and - surprise surprise! - those that had had their coffee fix rated themselves and others more highly.
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Another group were split into two groups and were both given coffee, but half were actually given decaf. And, you’ve guessed it, the ones with the strong stuff performed better during the discussion. Also, they apparently stayed on topic better than the ones who drank decaf. So if you’re boss REALLY wants you to stop discussing Love Island in meetings, then you may need to gently suggest that they provide free lattes for everyone. All in the name of productivity...
