Did you know I was the national spokesperson for
Wrigley's spearmint gum? In fact, I helped develop the Chew IQ test that
distinguished your personality type based on your chewing style. During my time
researching as national spokesperson, I discovered that chewing gum has many
positive benefits. There's new research out that confirms one of those key
benefits that chewing gum can actually improve your memory. Next time your
attention is flagging before a late-in-the day meeting, pop a piece of gum in
your mouth to help you stay sharp. British researchers have found that chewing
gum improves performance on tasks that involve tuning into audio cues that is
listening to somebody talk and retaining key information in short-term memory. In
the study, subjects listened to random lists of numbers for 30 minutes, then were tested on their ability to pick up
patterns. Compared with non-chewers the gun group detected patterns more
quickly and accurately and their abilities improved as the task progressed. The
action of chewing seems to temporarily increased blood flow to the brain,
allowing more energizing oxygen to reach brain cells. Personally, I would
recommend that you chew the gum before your meeting and then spit it out and
put it in a piece of paper in the trash before going in the meeting room so people
won't see you chewing the gum but your brain will be supercharged to remember
what they say.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
