After analyzing participants’ scans, researchers found that both the coffee drinkers and the caffeine drinkers experienced changes in the brain that would make them less tired and more prepared to switch between tasks.
However, only the coffee drinkers had increased activity in the higher visual and right executive control networks of the brain, which are involved in working memory, cognitive control, and goal-directed behavior.
“The subjects were more ready for action and alert to external stimuli after having coffee,” the study authors said in a statement.
The authors also found that the coffee drinkers seemed to derive more pleasure from the experience, and they think the sensory nature of coffee may trigger neurochemical effects similar to those we get when we listen to a beautiful song. Music to any coffee drinker’s ears.
This helps explain what keeps habitual coffee drinkers coming back for more and shows that caffeine alone cannot stimulate the same cognitive benefits as a cup of joe.
