Want to Concentrate Better? Add a Teaspoon of Cocoa to Your Coffee

Adding a little cocoa to a cup of coffee can help you concentrate better, reports a new study from Clarkson University, Georgia. The research compared the effects of four different hot drinks on 'mental energy': coffee, cocoa, a combination of coffee and cocoa, and a placebo drink that contained no stimulants. All drinks were sweetened with artificial sweetener so they tasted the same. The participants' nostrils were sealed with a special clip so they couldn't distinguish between the aroma of the drinks to know exactly what they were drinking.

Each day of the study, participants drank one hot drink and then were asked to complete a test that measured their levels of mental energy.

The results: Those who drank cocoa provided the fastest responses, but those who drank coffee with cocoa delivered the most accurate responses.

Another interesting finding: Those who drank coffee alone developed feelings of anger, unlike those who drank the other beverages (cocoa, coffee plus cocoa, and placebo). Coffee alone also increased feelings of anxiety. Adding cocoa to coffee, the researchers concluded, can enhance the positive effects of caffeine and reduce its negative effects.

The researchers said they will conduct further studies to try to understand how the different chemicals in the drinks work together. Meanwhile, they suggest adding a teaspoon of cocoa to your coffee.