Chewing gum can help children learn better

US scientists claim that chewing gum can increase students' grades at school, at least with math.

Many schools in the United States prohibit students from chewing gum on campus because they often throw candy residues on tables and chairs, walls and school grounds.

But some scientists from Baylor College of Medicine (USA) and Wrigley Research Institute (belonging to Wrigley gum production group) found that students who chew gum during math lessons have scores higher than other children. 'This is the first time we've demonstrated that children actually learn better if they're allowed to chew gum during school hours,' said Craig Johnston, an expert at Barley University.

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The Barley University team tracks 108 students aged 13-16 at a school in the city of Houston, Texas, USA. The majority of respondents come from low-income families and do not regularly buy chewing gum. About half of the students are provided with free chewing gum. They chew at least one during the math lesson, when doing homework and on tests.

After 14 weeks, the chewing group scored 3% higher than the other group in the form of basic math tests and final exam results. However, in the form of tests for good students, scientists do not see any difference in grades between the two groups.

'The difference is not large but it is of great significance because the test took only 14 weeks and chewing gum is extremely simple behavior. Maybe the effects of chewing gum will be much greater for students who chew candy for a few years or more , 'the team commented.

For many years Wrigley Research Institute has surveyed thousands of people who have a habit of chewing gum. The results show that they concentrate better when chewing candy. Another trial by the institute for college students showed that when performing difficult exercises on computers, people chewing gum had lower levels of cortisol (stress hormones) than when they didn't chew .

Craig Johnston thinks chewing gum helps reduce stress so students and students can maximize their thinking ability. He hoped that the discovery would prevent schools from chewing gum to change their minds.

'Chewing gum is not bad behavior. The problem is how we throw away the candy. Teachers can absolutely teach students how to throw candy in the right place through educational measures , ' he added.