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Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

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Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#91

Post by tic_tac »

jpm_sd wrote: post #45

For me, caffeine is "focus juice". Makes it possible to care about solving tedious work problems. I can see how the same would apply to writers and artists, who have tons of creative ideas but have a harder time battling through the "war of art" without a little help from our friend Coffea arabica. Creativity tends to flow best standing in the shower, lying in bed, or out for a run or a bike ride.

Creativity can really only happen when the mind isn't doing anything in particular. Only then can it wander, and only in wandering can it arrive at novel combinations or alterations of ideas.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#92

Post by samatman »

fultonfaknem42 wrote: post #88
petargyurov wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was under the impression that on average the brain/body needs around 9 days of no caffeine consumption to get back to its natural baseline. I can't seem to find the source of that study right now...

You could do the math if you look up the half-life of caffeine. Via a quick Google search it looks like it is 4-6 hours. So if I understand it correctly, it's 4-6 hours for 100mg to become 50mg, then another 4-6 for 50mg to become 25mg, etc. So like if all you did was have a single cup of 100mg coffee, then its like 12-18 hours for it to go away. If you're me though, you drink like 3-4 a day. This seems to be about 2…

That tells you how long before it's out of your system, not how long it takes to reset after.

Effect duration for a psychoactive is related to half-life, but they aren't identical, and 'reset time' varies widely, e.g. MDMA is over in about 4 hours but it takes at minimum of two weeks before one can get a comparable effect again.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#93

Post by s_y_n_t_a_x »

JackRabbitSlim wrote: post #46
rhombocombus wrote: post #43

So do the ADHD meds I take; huge gains in problem solving and execution, not so much in the creativity front. I wonder if this is a general psychological feature of stimulants

I still remember one of the funniest lines from the old movie "Dead Man On Campus": "This is my brothers Ritalin, It's great for staying up and studying just don't try to write an English paper on it"

Fortunately, delirium sets in during an all-nighter and you can get creativity from that.

Not that you should strive for that scenario though.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#94

Post by overcast »

JackRabbitSlim wrote: post #46
rhombocombus wrote: post #43

So do the ADHD meds I take; huge gains in problem solving and execution, not so much in the creativity front. I wonder if this is a general psychological feature of stimulants

I still remember one of the funniest lines from the old movie "Dead Man On Campus": "This is my brothers Ritalin, It's great for staying up and studying just don't try to write an English paper on it"

Bob MaloogaLoogaLoogaLoogaLooga. One Malooga, four loogas.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#95

Post by kgonza »

empath75 wrote: post #90
simonsarris wrote: post #68

Ha, if true that would confirm Balzac's claim: > Coffee is a great power in my life; I have observed its effects on an epic scale. Coffee roasts your insides. Many people claim coffee inspires them, but, as everybody knows, coffee only makes boring people even more boring. From "The Pleasures and Pains of Coffee, 1830, http://blissbat.net/balzac.html

pretty much true for any stimulant in my experience.

Not...

Ah, in your experience. I missed that, initially.

I meant to write "Not khat," which gives me the best inspiration ever (and a crash that lasts days when I get off of it).

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#97

Post by panchicore3 »

DantesKite wrote: post #57

On a side note, I really enjoy the taste of coffee. I try not to drink more than one cup a day, but I wonder now about what would happen if I stopped cold turkey. Maybe a couple days reset wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

I usually take coffee tolerance breaks, 3 days withdrawal symptoms like headache and 20 days coffee-free, when I come back, it hits better than if I were stayed so it is rewarding.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#98

Post by vidarh »

mindslight wrote: post #55
dacohenii wrote: post #23

Thank you for linking to the paper. The study measures the effects of regular caffeine users: > Participants were invited to participate if they were between 18-35 years of age, consumed between 1-2 cups of caffeinated beverages per day at least 5 days a week, did not smoke, were native English speakers, and took no psychiatric medications or painkillers on a regular basis. > [...] > Participants were asked to abstai…

I'm in touch with the dose because I tend to nibble pills. It's weird to me how often people consume caffeine uncritically, skipping days, having arbitrary massive doses, etc. I'm clean right now, but if I were going to start up again, 66-100mg would be all I needed to be flying. The 200mg in the study is odd to me, because that kind of dose only makes sense for someone who is already chemically dependent. Cold turke…

I think the issue is how you'd find enough people sufficiently "clean" that 66mg-100mg would be a big dose. Most people don't keep track of their caffeine ingestion at all, but downs big cups of coffee at uncontrolled intervals.

For my part withdrawal from going cold turkey is absolute hell unless I'm travelling or otherwise majorly changing my routine. Like with many other drugs, despite the severe physical effects, caffeine withdrawal is very dependent on mental state as well. I always tends to minimize or totally stop my caffeine intake when I go on holiday or visit family etc, and I don't notice any of the normal withdrawal effects.

If I for whatever reason want to "reset" outside of travel, I'll try to step down, and pre-emptively take a paracetamol/acetaminophen early evening because I tend to start getting shakes in the evening if I reduce my caffeine intake too quickly. Cold turkey is too brutal for me.

People don't seem to realise just how much caffeine can affect them. It can be incredibly useful, but like you I find it weird that people consume it ad hoc without carefully managing the doses. I suspect a lot of people spend a lot of time miserable without realising why because of it.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#99

Post by anthony_romeo »

DantesKite wrote: post #57

On a side note, I really enjoy the taste of coffee. I try not to drink more than one cup a day, but I wonder now about what would happen if I stopped cold turkey. Maybe a couple days reset wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

I find weaning off with following a gradual path of half-caf -> decaf* or black tea -> herbal tea helps greatly with withdrawal symptoms. Then staying off caffeine for a few weeks really brings the rush back when I inevitably resume drinking coffee

*I should point out that decaf still has a little caffeine in it

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#100

Post by strikelaserclaw »

Proziam wrote: post #67
strikelaserclaw wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know exactly what you mean. My theory is that getting amped up on caffeine keeps you from getting decent sleep, which means your cortisol/whatever hormones are still kinda high when you wake up, so when you take even more caffeine upon awakening, your body seems to move forwards from a different baseline than when you drink coffee after completely resting. This along with the fact that for me personally, being tire…

I think there's a kind of 'loading' period where your body absorbs caffeine and normalizes into a caffeinated state. I don't know if the sleep cycle has much to do with it though. In my case, I sleep much better after I have caffeine. I've been sleeping poorly for several months now because of my decision to cut it out. I might be abnormal (people I live and work with certainly think so!), but I basically never feel…

No kidding huh, sleep better after grams of caffeine? Yea, i guess my experience wouldn't apply to you.
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