Study reveals why chewing gum might actually help with focus and stress relief

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Humans have been chewing gum for thousands of years, long after the flavor fades and without any clearnutritional benefit.

The habit dates back at least 8,000 years to Scandinavia, where people chewed birchbark pitch to soften it into a glue for tools.Other ancient cultures, including the Greeks, Native Americans and the Maya, also chewed tree resins for pleasure or soothing effects,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.His brands, including Juicy Fruit and Spearmint, promoted gum as a way to calm nerves, curb hunger and stay focused.

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

Vintage black and white image of a delivery man wearing a duster coat and a peaked cap with a Wrigley

Advertisements have long framed chewing gum as a tool for stress relief and mental sharpness.(Keystone View Company/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

In the 1940s, a study found chewing resulted in lower tension but couldn’t say why.

“The gum-chewer relaxes and gets more work done,” The New York Times wrote at the time about the study’s results.

Gum became anearly form of wellness,and companies are trying to revive that idea today as gum sales decline, according to National Geographic.

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

Young woman blowing bubble with gum as she looks at phone, seen outside wearing sunglasses and headphones.

Chewing gum may briefly affect attention and stress-related brain activity, according to studies.(iStock)

A 2025 review by researchers at the University of Szczecin in Poland analyzed more than three decades ofbrain-imaging studiesto 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 tied to movement, attention and stress regulation.

The findings help clarify why the seemingly pointless task can feel calming or focusing, even once the flavor has faded.

Man reaching for package of gum in grocery store candy aisle.

Humans have chewed gum for pleasure for thousands of years, according to reports.(iStock)

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

The review also supports earlier findings thatgum chewing can ease stress,but only in certain situations.In laboratory experiments, people who chewed gum during mildly stressful tasks such as public speaking or mental math often reported lower anxiety levels than those who didn’t.

businesswoman looking stressed out while working on a laptop in an office at night

Some studies suggest chewing gum can reduce stress in mild situations but not extreme ones.(iStock)

Across multiple studies, people who chewed gum did not remember lists of words or stories better than those who didn’t, the researchers also found, and any boost in attention faded soon after chewing stopped.

Gum may simply feed the desire to fidget, experts suspect.

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“Although these effects are often short-lived, the range of outcomes … underscores chewing gum’s capacity to modulate brain function beyond simple oral motor control,” the researchers wrote.

“However, at this time, the neural changes associated with gum chewing cannot be directly linked to the positive behavioral and functional outcomes observed in studies,” they added.

Female and male doctors examine a brain scan up on large screen in front of them.

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

Future research should address longer-term impacts, isolate flavor or stress variables and explorepotential therapeutic applications,the scientists said.