(Shvaygert Ekaterina / Shutterstock.com)
Chewing gum is ubiquitous in modern life, and no one seems to give it much thought. It is simply something people tend to find pleasurable and do, without much contemplation given as to why they are doing it.
Now, according to National Geographic, scientists are looking to shed light on why people seem to like chewing gum, and what it can do for your brain.
A 8,000-year Old Habit
Humans have always liked chewing on things. In fact, the earliest chewing gum was found in Scandinavia and is nearly 8,000 years old. That gum was made of birch bark pitch. In addition, the ancient Greeks, Native Americans, and Mayans also liked to chew on sticky substances like various resins from trees.
But it wasn’t until the 19th century that gum, thanks to the marketing genius of William Wrigley, became truly popular. The idea that chewing gum could be good for you was part of Wrigley’s advertising strategy.
Advertisers even claimed that chewing gum had the ability to calm the nerves: “Are you worried? Chew gum. Do you lie awake at night? Chew gum. Are you depressed? Is the world against you? Chew gum.”
And indeed a 1940s study in Science showed that chewing gum lowers tension, but the scientists could not quite figure out why. Now, with new technology and years of additional research, modern scientists are beginning to figure out in what ways chewing gum affects the brain.
Attention, Alertness, and Emotional Control
A 2025 Brain Sciences review of three decades of imaging studies on people chewing gum showed that chewing changes the areas of the brain that have to do with movement, attention, alertness, and emotional control. Specifically. EEGs found shifts in brain-wave patterns linked to states of relaxed concentration.
Fox News reported that this reflects earlier studies, like the one in 1940, that chewing gum lowers stress. On the other hand, the review also found that chewing gum does not lower stress levels in times of heightened tension or fear, such as before a medical procedure.
In addition, chewing gum did not help people remember lists of words any more than people who were not chewing gum, and the relaxed concentration effect faded after only a few minutes. Likewise, as dentists like to point out, though sugar-free gum does not cause cavities, the sweeteners and acids in gum, plus excessive chewing may lead to other side-effects.
It is still unclear why chewing gum produces these positive effects in people. National Geographic notes that it may be evolutionary — many animals, including primates, spend a large portion of their lives masticating. Another, simpler, explanation is that chewing gum may serve the same function as fidgeting — like tapping your fingers on a surface, just with your mouth.
Whatever the reason, somehow chewing gum does serve a purpose. So the next time you’re in a mildly stressful situation, just pop a piece of chewing gum in your mouth and chew your worries away.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
9 Ways to Chill Out in 5 Minutes
6 Proven Tips and Techniques to Deal With Anxiety
9 Ways to Find Calm Intervention When You’re Feeling Anxious
