Can Chewing Gum Really Make You Calmer? The Truth Revealed

While we often see elite athletes chewing gum under pressure, this tactic isn't exclusive to them. The science of why gum-chewing may steady your nerves applies to everyone. In this article, we will reveal the surprising truth about how chewing gum can—and can't— affect your nerves and help you find your calm.



To maintain a good state of entry, the players have a "secret weapon" against tension, and chewing gum is a common choice for many players.

Chewing is often seen as a rhythmic, complex process with neurological activity and is the physiological activity that the human body relies on to survive. Chewing properly not only does not distract people, but also helps athletes to remove tight nerves, relax their mood, activate the brain, awaken thinking, and put the mind into a state of fitness.

As early as the 1930s, experiments showed that when chewing gum, people can relax by 10% - 15%. Later, scientists also scanned human brain waves and found that chewing gum can enhance human alpha brain waves, thereby effectively regulating brain waves related to tension and anxiety in the brain and relieving a nervous mood. Chewing gum can also effectively reduce the levels of cortisol, which is one of the contributors to stress and anxiety!



It has also been found that chewing gum, as a semi-automated behavior, continuously activates specific brain regions that overlap those that maintain daily work, which can improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the anterior cingulate cortex, thereby helping to concentrate and maintain attention. Some have researched students in learning status and found that students who chew gum in the experiment not only completed more of the total academic workload, but also had better mental attitude and lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

For another example, when writing group work and staying up to review the feet of worship, many people will find that the more urgent and nervous they are, the more inattentive they are. It is very difficult to insist on completing an event, and the mood is unstable, as if it had become normal... At this time, take a piece of chewing gum and chew it; maybe you can focus again.

Chewing gum is probably the easiest way to relieve stress and stress from the environment. The desk is always prepared, and the bag is always prepared. If you feel nervous, you can chew two pieces.

Chewing is an instinctive act, and the refreshing feeling of chewing comes from the moment human beings are born.

Freud divides a person's life into five stages, 0-1 of which is called the lip period. During this period, infants satisfy their desires by sucking, chewing, and swallowing. In the face of stress and tension, we will involuntarily turn our attention to the mouth when we grow up, and such small movements as licking lips and swallowing mouthwater play a role in unconsciously transferring pressure.



The habit of humans wanting to chew something presumably dates back to the Neolithic era. The Finns began to chew chewing gum made from birch tar, and 5000 years later, scientists found the fossil of chewing gum with tooth marks. Although the taste was estimated to be poor, it was indeed the earliest chewing gum. Later, in Greece, North America, and other regions of the world, people found cases of natural sticky pumping, such as chewing resin, rubber, etc., and human tree pectin. And today's chewing gum has been replaced by artificial rubber substances, with menthol and other flavoring agents. It is a refreshing chew!

Birch Tar Chewing Sugar Discovered by Archaeologists

Chewing birch oil can greatly help "ancient migrant workers" relieve nervousness and pressure, and locate the prey more accurately. However, our modern young people, due to their self-regulation ability under pressure and tension, also need to use some daily small habits to continuously exercise and cultivate. Fortunately, chewing still offers us a full "emotional value".

Modern people's living environment is becoming more and more complex, and the pressure may come from all aspects of life, work, and learning. From the moment I step out of the comfort zone, I may not know when I "feel pressured" when I first enter the workplace to work, travel with pickups, go to school, and get off work to catch the bus and subway. Chewing two chewing gums at this time can help people find a small pressure outlet and bring a more relaxed atmosphere.

Looking for a convenient, delicious, and incredibly effective way to de-stress? For many modern people, chewing gum is the ultimate low-cost escape. It doesn't judge your bad day or solve your problems, but it does offer a moment of simple, mindless relief when you need it most. Just pop in a piece and chew away the tension.





Author: Wuxi Gum Base
Publication Date: 9/17/2025