Coffee may make us say 'yes': research

If you want to bring someone around to your way of thinking, you should make sure they have a cup of coffee in their hand, according to research showing that caffeine makes us more open to persuasion.

The Australian researchers say a caffeine hit improves our ability to process information and increases the extent to which we listen to and take on board a persuasive message.

They tested this by quizzing people 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".

But caffeine also puts people in a better mood, which makes them more likely to agree with a message, the researchers say.

The research is posted on the Queensland University of Technology website and is submitted for publication in the European Journal of Social Psychology.

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