Is Coffee the Persuasion Bean?

Gli7ch writes "According to an Australian study, our geek wonder-drink of choice might turn us into yes-men. From the article: "The experiments showed that "caffeine increases persuasion through instigating systematic processing of the message"." Apparently this has implications for the advertising world, "because it suggests that they should schedule adverts for times when people are likely to be consuming caffeine, such as breakfast time."."

Comments

Caffeine helps me concentrate

[dada21]

I'm a pot-a-day kind of man, and I loved my Senseo which runs overtime every morning. I have to think and type up to 2000 words every morning, and the days I am out of coffee are the days I don't think straight. It might be an addiction, but who knows.

I would have to say that coffee does NOT make me a yes-man, as I've always been anti-authority and loved playing Devil's advocate. Maybe the article writer is confused; coffee might bring out our most consistent opinion or process. Does coffee make leaders more leader-like, and followers more follower-like? I'd say so.

When I have performed public speaknig engagements recently, the coffee buzz always makes me a better speaker (and calmer, actually). I wonder if caffeine, the drug, just puts us into our most comfortable role as many drugs do (including following others if that is how we're designed).

Re:Caffeine helps me concentrate

[Eli Gottlieb]

When I have performed public speaknig engagements recently, the coffee buzz always makes me a better speaker (and calmer, actually). I wonder if caffeine, the drug, just puts us into our most comfortable role as many drugs do (including following others if that is how we're designed).

Actually, becoming calmer on caffeeine means you have the neurological wiring for ADD.

Good job.

Re:Caffeine helps me concentrate

[iabervon]

The study showed that people were more likely to change their opinions in response to an essay when they'd had caffeine than a placebo. It doesn't say how that validated their explanation, but the first reason they gave was scientific jargon for "the people on caffeine actually read the essay", and the second reason was that they were happier.

I haven't seen the original study, but these things are often done with a survey of opinions on a topic, with a bunch of gradations from "completely agree" to "completely disagree". Of course, there are a number of confounding factors here. It could easily be that people who get their caffeine pay more attention to the essay and are more willing to mark down less strong opinions than they actually hold to please the authors of essays.

To get some idea about persuasion, you need a follow-up study to see whether people's opinions are still affected after the drug has worn off.

Of course, 11 years ago, my Latin teacher was dosing her students with caffeine at the start of class, and I can still come up with "O Colonia quae cupis ponte ludere longo", while I reread most of "The Turn of the Screw" since that year before I remembered that I'd read it before.

Oh, this is good

[Joebert]

YOU: "Want to go out to the club, have a few drinks ?"
HER: "No, I don't drink..."
YOU: "Want to go have a few cups of coffee then ?"
HER: "Sure why not."