Abstract
Research has suggested that chewing gum relieves perceptions of stress in stressed and non- stressed individuals but is most beneficial for those experiencing a greater amount of negative work characteristics. To determine if this was true in a student sample, the present study assigned 36 students to four one-day intervention conditions in which participants either chewed or refrained from gum and experienced a high or low workload. The results showed that an individual’s perceptions of stress and mental fatigue decreased as a result of chewing gum. Depression and cognitive failures decreased as a result of experiencing a high workload. Perceptions of physical fatigue decreased when chewing gum under a high workload. The findings suggested that gum may be an effective way to reduce certain stress characteristics, and also reassuring students that a high workload is not necessarily detrimental to their wellbeing.
Keywords
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Appendices
Appendix a
Instructions
GUM: HIGH, LOW. NO GUM: LOW, HIGH
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this project.
The aim of the experiment is to see whether chewing gum has an effect upon stress levels in students under a high and low workload.
Now for your part:
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1.
Please select 2 periods of 6 days within the next 2 weeks.
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2.
In the first 6 day period please select 1 day in which you have a high workload and another day in which you have a low workload, in that order. Please chew at least 2 pieces of gum on these 2 days for at least 20 min in total.
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3.
In the second 6 day period please select 1 day in which you have a low workload and another day in which you have a high workload, in that order. Please refrain from chewing gum on these 2 days.
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4.
High workload is defined as: a day in which you have two or more lectures and are working on an assignment and/or in paid/voluntary work. Low workload is defined as a day where you have one or less lectures and/or are not working on an assignment or in paid/voluntary work.
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5.
You need to complete this twice on each day: both at the beginning of each of the 4 days that you have chosen, and at the end of each day
Appendix B
Gum survey
Below is a list of descriptions that may or may not apply to you. For each description, please say to what extent you are experiencing this as you complete the questionnaire. Do not think for too long before answering but give your immediate reaction. Please be careful not to miss out any of the items. Give your answer by circling any number from 1 to 7 below the item, where appropriate.
1 = not at all, 4 = moderately and 7 = extremely
Feeling anxious | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Feeling depressed | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Feeling stressed | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Feeling mentally fatigued | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Feeling physically fatigued | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Having problems of memory, attention or action | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Not getting as much work done as you would like. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
How many pieces of gum have you chewed today? Number of pieces: | |||||||
How many hours of lectures have you attended today? Number of hours: | |||||||
How many hours have you spent studying and/or in paid or voluntary work? Number of hours: |
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Smith, A.P., Clayton, H. (2020). The Effects of Chewing Gum on Perceived Stress and Wellbeing in Students Under a High and Low Workload. In: Longo, L., Leva, M.C. (eds) Human Mental Workload: Models and Applications. H-WORKLOAD 2020. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1318. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62302-9_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62302-9_8
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