Attention, teachers: You might want to rethink that ban on chewing gum in the classroom.
A new study by Baylor College of Medicine researchers suggests that gum chewing in class can help improve students' test scores.
In research sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute (yeah, big potential conflict there) and presented at the Annual Meeting of Experimental Biology 2009 in New Orleans, 108 students ages 13 to 16 in math classes were assigned to either chewing or non-chewing groups while doing homework and taking quizes.
After 14 weeks came the big math test.
Results: a 3 percent increase in test scores and better overall grades.
Theories put forth by the Baylor researchers: Gum chewing decreases anxiety and increases blood flow in the brain.
