Study says coffee helps in persuasion

Researchers in Australia say if you want to persuade anyone to agree with your line of thinking, serving coffee to that person may help.

The study done at the Queensland University of Technology says a caffeine dose improves our ability to process information and increases the extent to which we listen to a persuasive message, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The study tested people by quizzing them about their attitudes to voluntary euthanasia and abortion before and after either the equivalent of about two cups of coffee or a placebo. They were also given a persuasive argument to read after having the caffeine.

The experiments showed that "caffeine increases persuasion through instigating systematic processing of the message," the study said. The caffeine also put people in a better mood, which makes them more likely to agree with a message, the researchers said.

The findings will be submitted for publication in the European Journal of Social Psychology.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International