Just read a very interesting paper on caffeine and how it affects our memory. Specially interesting since a number of us consume caffeine the night before an exam to mug things up or in other such instances when you have to be up all night. You probably already know too much of this stuff will make you nervy and will be no good but is it even fine to take in moderation. The answer suggested by this paper would be yes and no.
Effects of caffeine is influenced by more factors than you can think of including the time of the day, your personality, what kind of information you want to process and you gender for example. Might seem contrary but in general caffeine is better for long term memory tasks than the short term ones. Authors of this paper carried out a survey and experiment and the results show that while moderate amount of caffeine facilitated short term memory in females, contrary to popular perception it actually impaired the short term memory in males. However a higher dose of caffeine is good for both sexes.
Confused? Let's just say the paper suggests, either take no caffeine or if you have to take it take lot of it but then again not so much so as to make you restless and nervous.
Reference: The Effects of Caffeine, Impulsivity, and Sex on Memory for Word Lists, by Mary Ellen Arnold et al.
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