Food for thought : Drink Coffee,Stay Honest

It may be a lot less cloak and dagger than the ‘truth serum’ of spy thrillers, but it is more easily available and quite effective. Researchers at three business schools in the USA say that a cup of coffee may be all you need to stay honest! According to their study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology early this year, professors at the universities of Arizona, North Carolina and Washington claim that a cup of coffee can prevent you from taking an unethical decision. Longer working hours, global time zones and variable shifts have more people suffering from sleep deprivation than ever before. The loss of sleep, says the article, can make people susceptible to unethical behaviour in the workplace. Sleep deprivation makes people less able to reject a negative suggestion, as tiredness wears down resistance.

The equivalent of a large cup of coffee has enough caffeine to help employees regain short term control of their behaviour and could help sleep-deprived workers resist unethical influence from higher-ups. While long term solutions include ensuring a proper amount of sleep and a healthy lifestyle with enough time for sleep, caffeine provides an instant ‘pick-me-up’ shot in the arm.

By Suchismita Pai