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.
Depending on how we look at it, mocha coffee may... Read More
Want to know a few secrets to making a good... Read More
When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude... Read More
Do you love coffee? Most of us do. In this... Read More
Home Coffee Roasting ? Makes all the differenceAs I sit... Read More
The stress of unemployment can really take a toll on... Read More
Coffee roasting from light to very dark, is an art... Read More
Who the heck knows?According to two studies published in the... Read More
As you may have guessed, Arabica coffee gets its name... Read More
In Guatemala coffee grows in the heart of what was... Read More
Coffee cupping is a method to compare the different characteristics... Read More
Coffee - THE Drink of ChoiceDid you know coffee is... Read More
Caffeine is big business. There are new coffee shops popping... Read More
Espresso, caffè latte, cappuccino; there would seem to be as... Read More
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the... Read More
Flavored coffee syrup is a popular addition to any coffee... Read More
As researchers learn more about antioxidants with health and disease,... Read More
Does your morning coffee cause you pain? Are you frustrated... Read More
Starbucks has seen tremendous growth in our cities and the... Read More
It wasn't until I moved to the US that I... Read More
Specialty gourmet coffee is a very hot commodity in today's... Read More
Starbucks Coffee Company was founded in 1971 by three businessmen... Read More
To summarize something as phenomenonally successful as Starbucks coffee history... Read More
A researcher has stirred up the commuter coffee mug with... Read More
For coffee lovers, there are few things more appealing than... Read More
With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much... Read More
Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of... Read More
Coffee enemas detoxify the liver, as well as cleans the... Read More
About 850 A.D it is said that a lone shepherd... Read More
Coffee club membership is a joy for coffee lovers The... Read More
If we look at commodity trading from a purely conceptual... Read More
Gourmet coffee consumers rarely consider the cost of their daily... Read More
Have you ever wondered how restaurants get their coffee to... Read More
Want to know a few secrets to making a good... Read More
Most places that serve cappuccinos in the United States have... Read More
Ever wonder how to clean a coffee maker the right... Read More
For years, the idea of roasting your own coffee beans... Read More
Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of... Read More
Coffee tastes great by itself, but for an extra special... Read More
Many sober, law abiding people who would never dream of... Read More
To summarize something as phenomenonally successful as Starbucks coffee history... Read More
Here are some facts about the relationship between coffee and... Read More
There are many refreshing iced coffee recipes available, and we... Read More
If you are a gourmet coffee drinker, you may want... Read More
Adultery, deceit and politics, all the makings of a modern-day... Read More
You can be a coffee lover without knowing much about... Read More
From the year dot, my mother taught all her children... Read More
A large percentage of the population loves to drink both... Read More
India produces two fine coffees, but even among coffee devotees... Read More
The beverage called coffee is the result of mixing dry... Read More
Who doesn't love solving a good mystery? Is the Loch... Read More
The coffee plant has two main species. There is the... Read More
Gourmet coffee consumers rarely consider the cost of their daily... Read More
When you grab that morning cup of java, you're probably... Read More
As you may have guessed, Arabica coffee gets its name... Read More
With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much... Read More
Caffeine is big business. There are new coffee shops popping... Read More
It wasn't until I moved to the US that I... Read More
One of the most common complaints among coffee drinkers is... Read More
Juan Valdez is a fictitious character who was created in... Read More
Specialty gourmet coffee is a very hot commodity in today's... Read More
Pure Kona Coffee is gourmet coffee grown only on the... Read More
Coffee - THE Drink of ChoiceDid you know coffee is... Read More
In Kenya coffee production dates back several hundred years. Coffee... Read More
Most coffee beans are grown in sub-tropical climates all over... Read More
Coffee is heavily studied, but study results contradict one another.... Read More
Coffee |