Chewing Gum Boosts Brief Focus and Calms Nerves, Neuroimaging Review Shows
A 2025 neuroimaging review from the University of Szczecin finds chewing gum consistently activates attention and sensorimotor brain networks, producing brief EEG signs of relaxed alertness that can modestly sharpen short‑term focus and ease mild tension.
Key takeaways
- Chewing engages a broad sensorimotor network (motor, somatosensory, insula, cerebellum, thalamus) while sometimes recruiting attention and emotion‑control hubs.
- EEG shows short bursts of alpha and beta power consistent with a state described as relaxed concentration; effects fade soon after chewing stops.
- Behavioral benefits are modest and context‑dependent — improved vigilance in boring or mildly stressful tasks, but no reliable memory or long‑term gains.
- Flavor and task demands matter: flavored gum and attention‑demanding or mildly stressful tasks more often show higher‑order brain activation.
Main reporting and analysis
Szczecin, Poland — A systematic review published in 2025 by researchers at the University of Szczecin pooled 32 human brain‑imaging and electrophysiology studies spanning 1980–March 2025. The paper, The Neural Correlates of Chewing Gum – A Neuroimaging Review of Its Effects on Brain Activity, synthesizes fMRI, fNIRS and EEG findings to map how mastication affects brain function.
What the review looked at
The review combined evidence from:
- 15 fMRI studies
- 10 fNIRS studies
- 7 EEG or mixed EEG/fNIRS studies
Core chewing network: motor and sensory areas light up
Across fMRI studies, chewing gum reliably activated a wide sensorimotor circuit rather than a tiny jaw‑only center. Key regions include the primary motor cortex (jaw/mouth control), primary somatosensory cortex (oral/facial sensation), supplementary motor area, insula (taste/interoception), cerebellum, and thalamus. Researchers suggest this broad engagement may raise overall cortical arousal while chewing.
Higher‑order regions: attention, alertness and emotional control
In several studies the act of chewing also recruited the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) — hubs for executive control, sustained attention and conflict monitoring. This activation was more likely when gum was flavored or when participants performed mildly stressful or attention‑demanding tasks, providing a plausible neural route for short‑term improvements in focus and regulation of mild tension.
Authors’ caution: brain activation alone does not prove improved real‑world performance; imaging and behavioral benefits were not always measured in the same experiments.
EEG: brief shifts toward “relaxed concentration”
EEG results in the review commonly showed transient increases in alpha and beta power while participants chewed. Alpha is often linked to relaxed wakefulness, while beta correlates with alert thinking — together observed as a pattern of relaxed concentration. Critically, these shifts typically dissipated shortly after chewing stopped.
Behavioral effects: when chewing helps — and when it doesn’t
Attention and vigilance: Chewing gum sometimes improved vigilance and sustained attention during dull, monotonous tasks, helping people stay awake and on task in low‑stimulation settings.
Memory: Across experiments there was no consistent evidence that chewing enhances long‑term memory or learning for word lists or stories.
Stress: For mild, everyday stressors (brief public speaking practice or mental arithmetic), chewers often reported slightly less anxiety or tension. However, chewing did not reliably reduce anxiety in high‑stress medical contexts or situations designed to provoke strong frustration.
Why flavor and context matter
Many studies found stronger effects with flavored gum, indicating that taste, novelty and multisensory stimulation contribute alongside the mechanical act of chewing. Study heterogeneity — gum type, chewing speed, tasks and participant groups — limits a single effect‑size estimate and complicates direct translation to policy or practice.
Limitations and unanswered questions
- Most work measured acute effects only; there is almost no evidence for sustained, long‑term benefits of regular gum use.
- Imaging ≠ real‑world gain: Neural activation does not automatically equal meaningful performance improvement.
- It remains difficult to separate the contributions of mastication from flavor, smell and novelty; future work should test these factors independently and pair imaging with behavioral outcomes in the same subjects.
How the news media covered the review
Several outlets summarized the findings for general audiences. For example, Fox News and syndicated pieces highlighted activation of motor/sensory and higher‑order attention/emotion regions plus brief EEG signs of alertness, while education and health outlets noted modest classroom or workplace implications.
Practical takeaways
- Chewing gum reliably activates chewing‑related brain circuits and can engage attention and stress‑regulation networks under certain conditions.
- EEG shows short bursts of alpha and beta power consistent with relaxed alertness while chewing.
- Benefits for vigilance and reduced tension mainly occur during low‑stress, boring, or mildly stressful tasks and vanish soon after chewing stops.
- There is no clear evidence that chewing gum improves memory or handles severe stress.
Implications for Las Vegas, Nevada
Economic: For businesses that rely on customer focus and short interactions — call centers, casinos, retail and performance venues — offering sugar‑free gum could be a low‑cost, low‑risk strategy to help employees maintain brief pockets of alertness during long or repetitive shifts, though productivity gains are likely small and transient.
Political and educational: Local policymakers and school boards weighing gum rules may consider controlled, supervised use in classrooms for modest attention benefits during boring tasks, but should avoid claims of academic improvement given the lack of consistent memory gains.
Social and cultural: Small reductions in everyday tension among hospitality workers could improve customer interactions; however, Las Vegas norms around disposal and cleanliness mean public education on proper gum disposal would be important.
Practical applications for locals
Students cramming before a short quiz or workers pushing through a late shift might try flavored, sugar‑free gum as a temporary aid for alertness. It should be treated as a short‑term tool — not a substitute for sleep, study strategies, or clinical anxiety treatment — and users should consider dental health and littering.
Research and local partnerships
The review recommends paired imaging and behavioral studies. Las Vegas universities, school districts and health researchers could collaborate on targeted trials to test chewing interventions for hospitality staff or students in real‑world settings, measuring both brain signals and performance outcomes.
Sources and further reading
- PubMed: The Neural Correlates of Chewing Gum – A Neuroimaging Review of Its Effects on Brain Activity, Brain Sciences, 18 June 2025
- Fox News: New study reveals how chewing gum affects brain function, mental activity
- AOL: Study reveals why chewing gum may help focus and reduce stress
- TeacherToolkit: Chewing gum in the classroom
