Cognitive Effects of Chewing in Stress Response

Chewing behaviour has emerged as a simple, non-pharmacological strategy to mitigate the impact of stress on cognitive and emotional processes. Mastication activates neural circuits that influence both the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system, leading to modulation of stress hormone release and cardiovascular responses. At a central level, chewing attenuates activity in brain regions responsible for sensory processing and emotional appraisal, thereby reducing the subjective experience of stress. Behaviourally, individuals who engage in chewing under acute stress maintain higher levels of attention, working memory and mood stability. Habitual masticatory performance further correlates with more rapid physiological recovery after psychosocial stressors. These findings underline the broad significance of mastication for daily stress resilience, with potential applications ranging from clinical settings to workplace interventions. Furthermore, insights from both animal models and human neuroimaging studies converge to reveal how rhythmic jaw movements affect stress circuitry, providing a mechanistic foundation for chewing-based interventions in stress management and cognitive enhancement.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A randomised controlled trial examined the effect of gum chewing during the preoperative fasting period in female patients undergoing elective surgery. Participants who were allowed to chew gum freely exhibited significantly lower scores on a standard anxiety scale compared to a fasting control group, without any increase in gastric fluid volume or acidity. These results demonstrate that chewing can be safely incorporated into preoperative protocols to alleviate anxiety, highlighting the broader utility of mastication as a stress-reduction measure in clinical care.

Cognitive Effects of Chewing in Stress Response publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in cognitive effects of chewing in stress response across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis: The endocrine system that controls stress hormone (e.g., cortisol) release from the adrenal glands.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS): A branch of the nervous system regulating involuntary bodily functions, including heart rate and digestive processes, often measured in stress research.

Salivary alpha-amylase: An enzyme whose concentration in saliva reflects sympathetic nervous system activity and acute stress responses.

Functional connectivity: A measure of synchronised activity between different brain regions, indicating the strength of communication within neural networks.

Sustained attention: The ability to maintain focus and respond to stimuli over prolonged periods, often vulnerable to stress.

Digit vigilance task: A cognitive test requiring participants to detect and respond to target digits among a continuous stream, commonly used to assess attention under stress.

References

1. Mastication as a Stress‐Coping Behavior. BioMed Research International (2015).
2. Chewing Gum: Cognitive Performance, Mood, Well‐Being, and Associated Physiology. BioMed Research International (2015).
3. Gum Chewing Inhibits the Sensory Processing and the Propagation of Stress-Related Information in a Brain Network. PLOS ONE (2013).
4. Anxiolytic effects of chewing gum during preoperative fasting and patient-centered outcome in female patients undergoing elective gynecologic surgery: randomized controlled study. Scientific Reports (2022).
5. Immediate and residual effects of functional chewing gum on sustained attention and mood. Nutritional Neuroscience (2024).
6. High masticatory ability attenuates psychosocial stress: A cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE (2023).