Have you ever been told by your teacher that you can’t chew gum in his/her class? Did you have to do that walk of shame to the front of the room to spit your mint gum in the garbage? I know many students/adults who have been stuck in a similar situation. They scan the room and watch as everyone’s eyes are on them, feeling heat creep up their necks. Luckily, we aren’t banned from chewing gum. However, students in Singapore haven’t had that privilege (Metz, 2015). It's important to look at the pros and the cons of chewing gum in schools and seeing if this fierce debate truly is a sticky situation.
Memory Boost
There are many reasons why you should be allowed to blow those gum bubbles in class. Let’s unpack some reasons. Chewing that sweet or tangy gum can actually guide someone to improved memory. In a study done at the University of Northumbria, one-third of 75 adults chewed gum during a 20 minute memory and attention test. One-third of them mimicked chewing movements, and the remainder did not chew. The results showed that the adults who chewed gum were 24 percent more likely to participate in immediate recall and 36 percent higher on tests of delayed word recall (Wenckowski, 2021).
Staying Alert
Not only would students’ memories significantly increase, but they would also be more awake in class. According to Southwest Family Medicine in 2023, gum chewing is highly effective when someone is showing signs of sleepiness. I know all of reading this can attest to that feeling of our eyelids feeling heavy with sleep and trying to hide a yawn. It was also mentioned by the same study that many people chew gum when they are trying to multitask. The scientific reasoning behind this is that the act of chewing stimulates the trigeminal nerves, which arouses/gives energy to the body.
On the Other Hand
Some drawbacks of chewing gum could be seen with the distractions it may cause. A registered dietitian was able to point out that bubble-blowing, loud chewing, and smacking of the gum is of high probability in gum chewers (Reyes, 2023). Imagine how you would feel hearing the same, exaggerated open-mouthed chomps vibrating in a quiet room. In a study asking high schoolers about their attitudes toward gum, many of them said, “We see it on stairs, on the ground, on the underside of our desks, and on the bottoms of our shoes if we get unlucky. And we find wrappers in a thousand places other than the trash can” (Arnoult, 2023). This conversation shows highschool students coming together and deciding collectively that gum is generally very messy.
Wrap-Up
There are varying opinions as to the usage of gum, leading to a constant debate. Students have to see if the pros outweigh the cons. While gum helps with attention span and alertness, it also creates messes and distractions. In the end, if we could use the positive effects of gum wisely, it can boost our focus, but we should be mindful of the messy situation it can create. We should aim to make this sticky situation into a smooth one by understanding both sides of the argument.
Work-cited:
- Metz, Elle. “Why Singapore Banned Chewing Gum.” BBC News, BBC, 28 Mar. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32090420.
- Metz, Elle. “Why Singapore Banned Chewing Gum.” BBC News, BBC, 28 Mar. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32090420.
- Wenckowski, Julie. “Gum Chewing in School Is Good for the Brain.” Screenflex Portable Room Dividers, 14 Jan. 2021, www.screenflex.com/gum-chewing-in-school-is-good-for-the-brain/.
- “Chewing Gum Makes You More Alert.” Chewing Gum Makes You More Alert: Southwest Family Medicine Associates: Family Medicine Physicians, www.southwestfamilymed.com/blog/chewing-gum-makes-you-more-alert. Accessed 27 Sep. 2024.
- Reyes, Samantha. “Something to Chew On.” The Dial, hsdial.org/2023/01/04/something-to-chew-on/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CGum%2520chewing%2520in%2520the%2520classroom,of%2520the%2520gum%2520while%2520chewing. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
