How Caffeine Can Cramp Creativity (2013)

&gt; creativity is notoriously difficult to study in a laboratory setting<p>I&#x27;m really looking forward to the day when technology can more <i>directly</i> measure the effects of various substances on the body, rather than the inexact observation methods used today.<p>Take SSRIs, for example. Here&#x27;s how it works. Patient tells doctor &quot;I feel depressed&quot;. Doctor prescribes medicine. (A few weeks or months go by.) Doctor asks, &quot;Well, how do you feel?&quot;<p>We need to be able to say: &quot;Over the course of your treatment, you ingested X milligrams of Zoloft, with an average concentration of Y in your bloodstream. Here&#x27;s the 1-month graph. Your avg levels of serotonin were Z% higher than usual during this time. Your cortisol (stress hormone) level was C% lower. You slept an average of S hours per night, with E% improvement in deep sleep efficiency.&quot; etc.<p>At some point, the former is going to sound quaint and old-timey.

The shock value of this article does not magically turn in into convincing science. Like everything else dietary related (within the limits of reason), you should test for yourself and see how your body reacts. Changing your habits to best suit your expectations. Just because some article says Caffeine <i>may</i> make you less creative doesn&#x27;t mean it will. Also the net benefit of drinking Caffeine may outweigh the loss of some creativity in your personal case.

Caffeine is an amazing substance that has helped drive society forward. For example, coffee houses in England are where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed and from where the London Stock Exchange was originally based (Jonathan&#x27;s Coffee-House[1]).<p>Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant that increases alertness, reaction speed and short-term memory, not necessarily creativity. If you want increased creativity you are looking at the wrong type of chemical and may be more interested in an area like nootropics or entheogens.<p>[1] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan%27s_Coffee-House" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Jonathan%27s_Coffee-House</a>

I thought it was well-known that when you want to come up with zany ideas you should drink a beer, and when you want to execute on them, grab a coffee.

I&#x27;m finding that water &gt; coffee...

A small side of Ganja with your coffee may help alleviate the creativity killing side effects....<p>(disclaimer, not a doctor)