Caffeine psychological effects

Many since the 16th century have also experienced that feeling of luxury and nobility , but we knew little more than did Abd-al-Kadir about the exact nature of or basis for the psychological effects of caffeine until a relatively few years ago — nearly the end of the 20th century. 

In addition to coffee and tea, the psychological effects of caffeine can be obtained from a number of other food sources. Chocolate is a popular and widely consumed source, but the drug is also found in considerable quantities in a number of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC). Caffeine tablets (e.g., No-Doz) are sold for those who use the drug to study, drive, or engage in other activities. Less obvious is the caffeine content in analgesics, cold preparations, and anorectants. 

As we noted earlier, caffeine affects not only arousal, but also other behavioral influences such as attentional focus. However, it now appears that these other effects may be secondary to the impact of the drug on arousal and that a multi-factorial model incorporating the inverted-U function may best describe that relationship. Most results in the literature to date are supportive of the biobehavioral model proposed here. However, research on the psychological effects of acute and habitual caffeine... 

Behavioral and Psychological Effects Interactions among Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol... 

J. Bryan (2008) Psychological effects of dietary components of tea caffeine and L-theanine. Nutr. Rev., 66, 82-90. 

Caffeine Effects on Psychological Functioning and Performance Barry D. Smith and Kenneth Tola... 

Perhaps the most intriguing perspective is that caffeine s major effects have little to do with muscles and fat metabolism but result from its psychostimulant effects, enhancing mood, improving attitude towards exercise, and thus motivating athletes to work harder and longer. This would account for its purported inability to alter strength, which may be a less psychologically malleable variable, while endurance performance is sometimes believed to be more amenable to force of will. 

The increasing scientific attention devoted to caffeine in recent years9 reflects not only its popularity and widespread use, but also concern that it may have detrimental physiological effects and interest in its impact on psychological functioning and behavior. Health concerns have focused primarily on cardiovascular function.4-10 Early studies suggested that caffeine consumption may increase the risk of some cardiovascular problems.11-12 However, more recent studies provide little support for this concern, with the possible exception of blood pressure.13 Lipid profiles appear to be unaffected by habitual caffeine consumption.1417 Moreover,... 

The individual s average habitual exposure to caffeine moderates the effect of acute exposure on both physiological and psychological functioning. 

The other side of the psychological coin from cognition is emotion, and caffeine has also been shown to have important effects on this aspect of functioning as well. Depending on dosage level and concurrent factors, caffeine can result in either positive or negative mood changes. 

Psychological aspects of caffeine dependency, to the extent that they occur, may be due to the reinforcing effects of the drug.235-297 In fact, doses as low as 25 mg have been shown to have reinforcing properties.284 Although caffeine may not be as reinforcing as other psychostimulants,163 animal studies have shown that it does have the properties of a positive reinforcer.298... 

Barr, H. M., Streissguth, A. P., Darby, B. L., Sampson, P. D., Prenatal exposure to alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and aspirin Effects on fine and gross motor performance in 4-year-old children. Developmental-Psychology 26(3), 339-348, 1990. 

MacDougall, J. M., Musante, L., Castillo, S., and Acevedo, M.C., Smoking, caffeine, and stress Effects on blood pressure and heart rate in male and female college students. Health Psychology 7, 461-478, 1988. 

James, J. E., Richardson, M., Pressor effects of caffeine and cigarette smoking. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 30(3), 276-278, 1991. 

Tolerance and dependence. The regular, frequent use of caffeine-containing drinks is part of normal social life and mild overdose is common. Slight tolerance to the effects of caffeine (on all systems) occurs. Withdrawal symptoms, attributable to psychological cmd perhaps mild physical dependence... 

---