1300 88 77 99A nice cup of stress relief
The findings of a recent UK study suggest that a cup of tea can reduce stress in more ways than one.
The study commissioned by the insurance company Direct Line found that many people appear to draw an association not only between decreased anxiety and drinking tea, but also with the act of making a cup of tea itself.
The research by psychologists Dr Malcolm Cross and Rita Michaels, from City University London, was conducted with the aim of measuring and better understanding the effectiveness of tea in inducing calm during an episode of anxiety. Additionally, they set out to gauge any possible calming effects of the actual tea making process.
For the study, 42 participants were divided into two groups; a tea drinking group, and a non-tea drinking group. Both groups filled in the psychological tests, the Spielberger test and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAIA) which assess current levels of anxiety and a person’s tendency towards anxiety. In addition to these, the participants completed a deliberately stress-inducing time-restricted test.
At the conclusion of these tests, the tea drinking group was given a cup of tea, while the non-tea group was given a glass of water. Both groups then completed the anxiety test again.
In addition to the formal tests, the researchers also conducted group discussions to help them gauge the ‘emotive significance and impact of making tea for participants’.
The measured test results showed that tea drinkers displayed a 4 per cent reduction in stress levels after completing the anxiety task, whereas the non-tea drinkers exhibited a 25 per cent increase in anxiety levels. The focus group discussions revealed that ‘the ritual of making and consuming tea does make an important contribution to the overall effect of mediating stress’. Having a cup of tea was described as having a calming effect before and after stressful situations, and the experience was described as a ‘chill-out moment’ which drew a line under a stressful experience.
Cross and Michaels said that results showed that in addition to lessening the stress induced by the task, tea drinking also lowered anxiety to an even lower level than the individuals exhibited prior to the task. They also noted the social aspect of tea drinking, commenting, ‘The tea appeared to catalyse conversation, and helped build rapport both between the participant and tea-maker (research assistant) and amongst the wider group. The present study shows that during periods of stress, tea’s reputation for inducing calm extends beyond the effects of its physical properties on our bodies and brains’.
The study was criticised for not being a randomised or blind study, and for not providing in-depth background information regarding the study participants. Reviewers of the study for NHS Choices described the study as ‘soft evidence supporting a common-sense theory’ and expressed the opinion that ‘better designed trials will be needed if anyone is really interested in how tea helps to calm tea drinkers’.
Source: www.teamergency.com and Medical News Today
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