Drinking coffee is a universal habit; but also a habit with misconceptions.

Coffee is often viewed as a stimulant for innovation and imagination.

Current research suggests several benefits of caffeine.

Like most readers, I start my day with a tall cup of coffee (or three). My mind awakens, and I’m ready to tackle several projects: writing a new book chapter, crafting a commissioned article, or outlining the initial drafts of this blog. I’m on full alert, I’m stimulated, and I’m engaged. My fingers fly across the keyboard, caffeine is surging through my system, and it’s “full steam ahead!”

But wait a minute! Has my creativity, has your creativity, been enhanced to any significant degree by that jolt of java?

What the Research Says:

For most people, a cup of coffee is a daily ritual (current figures show that people around the world drink a staggering 140,625,000 gallons of coffee globally each day). It is not only a ritual; it is a habit. As a habit, we often consider it a necessary part of the creative process, a sensory trigger for generating dynamic ideas or innovative products. We know that brewing, smelling, and tasting coffee, quite often, increases our mental alertness by blocking adenosine (a natural body chemical, one that increases during the day, often leading to sleepiness) receptors in the........

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