Chewing gum has long been regarded as a harmless habit, useful for freshening breath or passing time, but offering little else. It contains no meaningful nutrients and has rarely been associated with serious health benefits.
However, according to a report from Fox News Digital, new scientific evidence suggests that the simple act of chewing may influence how the human brain regulates attention and stress, providing a biological explanation for a practice that has endured for thousands of years.
An ancient habit shaped by modern marketingArchaeological evidence indicates that humans were chewing natural resins as early as 8,000 years ago. A recent report by National Geographic notes that people in prehistoric Scandinavia chewed birchbark pitch, likely to soften it for tool-making. Similar practices were found among ancient Greeks, Native American communities and the Maya, who used tree resins for comfort and mild soothing effects.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, chewing gum entered mass culture after American entrepreneur William Wrigley Jr commercialised it on a large scale. His companies marketed gum as a remedy for nervousness, fatigue and poor concentration.
A 1916 article cited in Kerry Segrave’s book Chewing Gum in America, 1850–1920: The Rise of an Industry advised readers to chew gum to cope with worry, sleeplessness and low mood. Decades later, a study referenced by The New York Times in the 1940s reported lower tension levels among gum chewers, though the underlying mechanism remained unclear.
What brain scans now revealThat long-standing question is now being examined more closely. In a 2025 review, researchers from the University of Szczecin in Poland analysed more than three decades of studies that used brain-imaging technologies such as MRI, EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy to observe neural activity during gum chewing.The review found that chewing activates not only motor and sensory regions involved in jaw movement, but also areas associated with attention control, alertness and emotional regulation. EEG data showed short-term changes in brain-wave patterns linked to increased vigilance and what researchers describe as “relaxed concentration.”
The authors concluded that chewing gum can influence brain function in ways that extend beyond basic oral movement, although the effects are typically brief.Limited benefits under specific conditions
The findings also clarify why chewing gum is often perceived as calming during monotonous or mildly stressful tasks. Crystal Haskell-Ramsay, professor of biological psychology at Northumbria University, told National Geographic that chewing may support concentration when mental engagement is low, such as during repetitive work. Laboratory studies reviewed by the Polish researchers found that participants who chewed gum while performing tasks like mental arithmetic or public speaking reported lower anxiety levels than those who did not.
However, the benefit was inconsistent in high-stress situations, including medical settings before surgery. The review also found no reliable improvement in memory performance, and any attention-related advantage tended to disappear soon after chewing stopped.
The researchers emphasised that current evidence does not establish a direct link between the observed neural changes and long-term improvements in mental performance or emotional wellbeing. They called for further studies to assess long-term effects, isolate the influence of flavours and stress levels, and explore possible therapeutic applications.
Medical considerations also remain relevant. Dentists note that while sugar-free gum may help reduce cavities by stimulating saliva production, frequent chewing and acidic additives can contribute to enamel erosion or jaw strain.
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