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.

---

Does Your Morning Coffee Cause You Pain or Discomfort?

Does your morning coffee cause you pain? Are you frustrated... Read More

Starbucks Coffee Company

Starbucks Coffee Company was founded in 1971 by three businessmen... Read More

Russian Tea drinking - The beginning

It is believed history of Russian tea drinking tradition have... Read More

Coffee Roasting: Learning the Fundamental Art of Making Coffee Can be Fun

Coffee roasting from light to very dark, is an art... Read More

How To Clean A Coffee Maker

Ever wonder how to clean a coffee maker the right... Read More

Starbucks Product Review

Have you had the pleasure of tasting Starbucks new less... Read More

The Best Cup of Drip Coffee Possible

With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much... Read More

6 Delicious Coffee Recipes

Do you love coffee? Most of us do. In this... Read More

Campfire Coffee Recipes

Want to know a few secrets to making a good... Read More

Arabica Coffee Beans Are Pricey Yet Priceless!

Arabica coffee beans are known for a better-flavored coffee. There... Read More

History of Instant Coffee

Mention instant coffee to any connoisseur and you are sure... Read More

La Minita Coffee ? It?s in the Green Beans

La Minita; Spanish for "The Little Gold Mine" says it... Read More

10 Timeless Tips to a Perfect Cup of Coffee

Few quests in human history have so captivated men and... Read More

Those Elusive Coffee Beans!

With the spread of various coffee beans into our lives,... Read More

Kenya Coffee History

In Kenya coffee production dates back several hundred years. Coffee... Read More

Why Your Cup of Coffee in the Morning May Keep You Up All Night

One of the most common complaints among coffee drinkers is... Read More

Coffee Storage Myths; Freeze Your Fresh Roasted Coffee & Other Popular Misconceptions

So you are finally fed up with that bland black... Read More

Italian Roast Coffee For An Authentic Espresso

One of the things people think of with Italy is... Read More

Home Coffee Roasting

Home Coffee Roasting ? Makes all the differenceAs I sit... Read More

11 Effects of Caffeine on The Body

Caffeine is big business. There are new coffee shops popping... Read More

A Little Secret Your Dentist Doesnt Want You To Know

Most dentist, particular those who specialize in cosmetic dentistry love... Read More

Getting Fat These Days; Is it Starbucks

Starbucks has seen tremendous growth in our cities and the... Read More

Heating Vegetable Oil to Frying Temps Forms Toxic Compound

New research by a University of Minnesota professor and a... Read More

Specialty Gourmet Coffee

Specialty gourmet coffee is a very hot commodity in today's... Read More

Does Coffee Make You Fat or Help with Diabetes?

Who the heck knows?According to two studies published in the... Read More

Coffee and Asthma?

Here are some facts about the relationship between coffee and... Read More

Coffee Makers

If you are a gourmet coffee drinker, you may want... Read More

Coffee Commodities and Starbucks

If we look at commodity trading from a purely conceptual... Read More

Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee

Do you remember your first experience with coffee? I'm sorry... Read More

Tea at Sea

Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of... Read More

Coffee, Caffeine & Fitness

One look at a line at the local Starbucks in... Read More

History of Arabian Coffee

Arabian coffee is the quintessential coffee of the world. Arabia... Read More

Pure Kona Coffee

Pure Kona Coffee is gourmet coffee grown only on the... Read More