| |
| |
|
Coffee Information |
|
|
|
Coffee Breaks - Do They Create Stress?
The American custom of taking break during the working hours. Thus coffee breaks began in the early 20th century. At the end of the 19th century, the American workplace was a dreadful place for a break. But as the century turned, social reform was gaining steam. Companies and factories installed in-house lunchrooms, and coffee breaks became part of the reform. In 1952, the term "coffee break" was coined by a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign that read, "Give yourself a Coffee-Break -- and Get What Coffee Gives to You." Many people take a coffee break while at work, believing that this will ease their stress. Research has been conflicting on the effects of caffeine; some studies suggest that it can worsen anxiety and trigger stress, while others show it boosts confidence and alertness. Recently, however, a study done by psychologists Lindsay St Claire and Peter Rogers of Bristol University in the United Kingdom suggests that taking coffee breaks while working may actually deter employees' ability to do their jobs and undermine teamwork instead of boosting it. So this raises the question: do the classic American coffee breaks hurt more than help? The study found that caffeine is particularly unhelpful to men and can disrupt their emotions and hamper their ability to perform certain tasks. This latest report, released by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council, also suggests that caffeine makes people less co-operative when working in teams. "Our research findings suggest that the commonplace tea or coffee break might backfire in business situations, particularly where men are concerned," says St Claire. "Far from reducing stress, it might actually make things worse." The researchers began their work after they heard a story during a stress workshop. A man described how he and a group of co-workers went on a business trip to the United States. In the United Kingdom, coffee isn't readily available in the workplace. However, in the United States, coffee was freely available and the team drank indulgently. Soon, they noticed that their stress levels had risen. They felt that the extra caffeine had disrupted their team cohesiveness and affected their ability to work together. The team from Bristol University tested caffeine's effects on 32 coffee drinkers. The subjects were that they would be given one of three drinks; a caffeinated coffee that would enhance their performance, a caffeinated coffee that would make them feel stressed, or decaffeinated coffee. This, however, wasn't completely true. Half of the drinks contained 200 mg of caffeine and the other half contained none. The subjects were then asked to perform two stressful tasks. The results of the tasks? Men did significantly worse than women in coping with the caffeine from the coffee. Those that had been told that their coffee contained the performance-enhancing caffeine had higher heart rates and showed more stress, especially during a public speaking task. The caffeine, however, did not affect the men when it came to mathematical tasks. When the subjects performed a "desert survival task" in teams, taking coffee breaks did reduce stress, especially in men, but drinking coffee seemed to reduce teamwork. So when it comes to coffee breaks, it may be advisable to lay off a bit if you're about to speak to an important client or head into a team meeting where you know there will be much bickering about the latest project plans. And while coffee and caffeine have been shown to be extremely beneficial in other areas of your physical health, maybe they should be reserved for before and after work or on the weekends. © Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved. Randy has more articles on coffee such as Colombian Coffee, Are Coffee Enemas the Real Thing?, and Arabica Coffee.
MORE RESOURCES:
Coffee - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Coffees of India India produces two fine coffees, but even among coffee devotees - at least in America - they remain relatively unknown and un-drunk. That's too bad. Home Coffee Roasting Home Coffee Roasting - Makes all the differenceAs I sit here one the deck with my daily morning cup of coffee, I realize? just a few years ago I'd have had a cup of dark strong, stovetop brew with some milk to ease the taste. No more!! Now there's almost every kind of coffee available that you can imagine. Coffee Commodities and Starbucks If we look at commodity trading from a purely conceptual standpoint, we find that the true reason for having a commodity exchange in the first place, was to stabilize pricing so that the American farmer could have a better idea of what his agricultural product would sell for once the harvest was complete. It also helped manufactures who needed raw materials to know how much money could be charged in their end product, by knowing their costs. Russian Tea drinking - The beginning It is believed history of Russian tea drinking tradition have began at 1638.That year, Russian Czar, Michael Fedorovich, granddad of Peter the Great, got special, diplomatic gift from Altyun-Khan, ruler of Mongolia. The History Of Coffee Coffee - THE Drink of ChoiceDid you know coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. How did coffee get this ranking? What country first figured out coffee was safe for consumption? When was the first drink of coffee prepared? Where did the first coffee shop come in being? There are many questions about the starting point of drinking coffee. Pure Kona Coffee Pure Kona Coffee is gourmet coffee grown only on the Island of Hawaii. It is grown on the dark volcanic lava rock slopes of Kona which is located on the west side of the Big Island. Coffee - Is It The Most Popular Beverage Of All Time? Around 850 A.D it is thought that a lone shepherd and his sheep happened upon a strange and mysterious plant growing upon a secluded and forgotten hillside. History of the Coffee and Espresso Machine A large percentage of the population loves to drink both gourmet coffee and espresso drinks. We are all aware of the fact that coffee and espresso provide a boost of energy and they also warm your body up on those cold winter days. Coffee Cupping For The Fun Of It Coffee cupping is a method to compare the different characteristics of a coffee bean. Cupping lets us compare different coffees against each other to evaluate the uniqueness between them. Coffee Drink Basics When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like latté, cappuccino, straight shot and caffé mocha just to name a few.Sometimes knowing what to order can be overwhelming unless you know what you are getting. Coffee Makers If you are a gourmet coffee drinker, you may want to opt for the convenience of your own coffee maker. After all, who wants to get up early and run out to buy a cup of fresh coffee each and every morning? It is so much more enjoyable to sit and sip your coffee while reading the paper in your robe and slippers. Is Caffeine a Hero or a Villain in Your Life? Many sober, law abiding people who would never dream of knowingly taking a mind- altering drug, actually consume one every day. Chances are that youâ??re doing it too! What is this drug? â?" Caffeine!Caffeine is so pervasive in our culture and in many other cultures that we often forget it is literally a drug that affects our brain. Caffeine & Low Birth Weight Babies These studies begin to point the way to the more permanent damage that coffee drinking can inflict on the unborn. The use of caffeine during pregnancy has been widely studied. Coffee For Your Health Many of us rely on coffee to get us going in the mornings, wake us up in the afternoons, and prepare us for that special business meeting. Go ahead, have a cup of coffee. Coffee Breaks - Do They Create Stress? The American custom of taking break during the working hours. Thus coffee breaks began in the early 20th century. Coffee is a commodity At Starbucks they obviously need coffee. To insure that they get the coffee at a good price, Starbucks has chosen to buy the coffee fields, rather than pay an advanced contract price for the coffee beans. Gourmet Coffee Beans You can be a coffee lover without knowing much about coffee beans, but learning a little bit about the different types of coffee can help you get the perfect cup every time. There are many types of gourmet coffee beans. 11 Effects of Caffeine on The Body Caffeine is big business. There are new coffee shops popping up all over the place. Buy Only Fresh Gourmet Coffee Beans if You are Looking to Brew Flavorful Gourmet Coffee Most coffee beans are grown in sub-tropical climates all over the world. The altitude and region can make a world of difference in the taste of your coffee. The Best Cup of Drip Coffee Possible With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much as a good sandwich these days, more and more people are taking to making their coffee at home from an "old fashioned" drip coffee machine. With the influence of Starbucks and the others out there, people are demanding a better cup of coffee all of the time.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
