Caffeine: The Silent Killer of Emotional Intelligence

[BridgeTheGap]

Today’s tip for increasing your emotional intelligence is the most simple and straightforward you’re ever going to get. For many people, this tip has the potential to have a bigger impact upon their emotional intelligence (EQ) than any other. The catch? You have to cut down on caffeine, and as any caffeine drinker can attest, this is easier said than done.

The Good: Isn’t Really Good

Most people start drinking caffeine because it makes them feel more alert and improves their mood. Many studies suggest that caffeine actually improves cognitive task performance (memory, attention span, etc.) in the short-term. Unfortunately, these studies fail to consider the participants’ caffeine habits. New research from Johns Hopkins Medical School shows that performance increases due to caffeine intake are the result of caffeine drinkers experiencing a short-term reversal of caffeine withdrawal. By controlling for caffeine use in study participants, John Hopkins researchers found that caffeine-related performance improvement is nonexistent without caffeine withdrawal. In essence, coming off caffeine reduces your cognitive performance and has a negative impact on your mood. The only way to get back to normal is to drink caffeine, and when you do drink it, you feel like it’s taking you to new heights. In reality, the caffeine is just taking your performance back to normal for a short period.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caffeine-the-silent-killer-of-emotional-intelligence/

[chknltl]

1. Had to give up coffee, same with energy drinks.

Both caused me too much anxiety. Both adversely affected my driving too. While driving I was always in a hurry even though there was no need to be in a hurry and I was easy to anger when someone ahead of me was doing less than the speed limit. Giving up coffee and energy drinks has made my driving much more pleasant.

[kestrel91316]

2. I'm NOT giving up my morning 12 oz mug of coffee, nor the occasional diet cola.

Forbes can go pound sand.

[NV Whino]

3. Now, now. That's the caffeine talking.

[qb]

4. The article mentions adverse effects of "large doses" of caffeine

but makes no mention of moderate usage. It reads like an alarmist commercial for the EQ book.

[Freddie]

5. You can pry my coffee out of my cold dead hands!

[LeftishBrit]

6. It has long been known that caffeine can be addictive and that it has a bad effect on some people's

behaviour; but this article is over-the-top. Travis Bradberry is a 'pop' psychologist who makes all sorts of claims not fully supported by the evidence.

And now excuse me while I get my morning cup of coffee.

[Quantess]

7. Unrec.

I feel personally slighted by this article. Moderate amounts of coffee is good for you.

[SheilaT]

8. Bingo.

I drink one cup of coffee each morning, and that's it. I almost never, as in probably less than once a month, have a soft drink of any kind.