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.