Scientists find chewing gum alters brain activity for better focus and attention

People have been chewing gum for thousands of years; It has no obvious nutritional benefit, even long after the flavor has faded.

This habit dates back at least 8,000 years to Scandinavia, where people softened birch bark pitch into glue for tools. Other ancient cultures, including the Greeks, Native Americans, and Mayans, also chewed tree resins for pleasure or a relaxing effect. National Geographic recently reported.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, William Wrigley Jr. transformed chewing gum from a novelty into a mass consumer habit through relentless and innovative marketing. Brands like Juicy Fruit and Spearmint promoted gum as a way to calm nerves, suppress hunger and maintain focus.

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According to Kerry Segrave’s book “Gum in America, 1850-1920: The Rise of an Industry,” a 1916 article said, “Are you worried? Chew gum.” “Are you lying awake at night? Chewing gum,” he continued. “Are you depressed? Is the world against you? Chew gum.”

A study in the 1940s found that chewing relieved tension, but could not explain why. The New York Times wrote about the results of the research at the time: “Gum chewing relaxes and allows more work to be done.”

Chewing gum became an early form of healthy living, according to National Geographic, and today, as gum sales are declining, companies are trying to revive the idea.

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But only now are scientists finally beginning to understand the biology behind these long-held beliefs.

According to research, chewing gum can briefly affect attention and stress-related brain activity. (iStock)

A 2025 review by researchers at the University of Szczecin in Poland analyzed more than three decades of brain imaging studies to examine what happens inside the brain when people chew gum. Using MRI, EEG, and near-infrared spectroscopy research, the authors found that chewing alters brain activity in regions linked to movement, attention, and stress regulation.

The findings help explain why the seemingly pointless task feels calming or focused even when the flavor is gone.

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The study found that chewing gum not only activates the brain’s motor and sensory networks involved in chewing, but also higher-level regions linked to attention, alertness and emotional control. EEG studies have found brief shifts in brain wave patterns associated with increased alertness and what researchers call “relaxed concentration.”

According to reports, people have been chewing gum for pleasure for thousands of years. (iStock)

“If you’re doing a fairly boring task for a long time, chewing can help with concentration,” Crystal Haskell-Ramsay, professor of biological psychology at Northumbria University, told National Geographic.

The review also supports previous findings that chewing gum may reduce stress only in certain situations. In laboratory experiments, people who chewed gum during mildly stressful tasks such as public speaking or mental math generally reported lower anxiety levels than those who did not.

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Chewing gum, however, did not consistently reduce anxiety in high-stress medical situations, such as immediately before surgery, and showed no clear benefit when participants faced unresolvable problems designed to create frustration.

Some research suggests that chewing gum may reduce stress in mild situations, but not in extreme situations. (iStock)

Researchers also found in multiple studies that people who chewed gum remembered lists of words or stories no better than those who did not, and that any increase in attention disappeared immediately after chewing stopped.

Experts think chewing gum may just fuel the desire to fidget.

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“Although these effects are generally short-lived, the diversity of results underscores chewing gum’s capacity to modulate brain functions beyond simple oral motor control,” the researchers wrote.

“However, it is not currently possible to directly correlate the neural changes associated with gum chewing with the positive behavioral and functional outcomes observed in studies,” they added.

A 2025 review analyzed decades of MRI, EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy studies on gum chewing. (iStock)

Future research should address long-term effects, isolate palatability or stress variants and explore potential therapeutic applications, the scientists said.

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The findings also raise warnings beyond brain science. Although sugar-free gums may help reduce cavities, Fox News Digital previously reported that dentists warn that acids, sweeteners and excessive chewing can damage teeth or trigger other side effects.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the study’s authors for comment.