Caffeine Buzz 'May Be All In The Mind'

The idea that having a coffee first in the morning will give you a kick start may be all in the mind, according to research.

To check out their theory, a group of researchers from the University of East London gave 88 volunteers aged between 18 and 47 at least two cups of coffee a day.

The self-confessed addicts reported that their mood and performance improved after the drink.

The researchers, however, had lied to the volunteers about the caffeine 'fix' and given them decaffeinated instead.

That, they said, suggested that the fix was all in the mind.

In another surprising result, as part of the experiment, some coffee addicts drinking the real thing came out worse in a series of tests than their non-caffeine drinkers.

"The findings suggest the expectation of having consumed caffeine confers an enhancement on sustained attention that is at least comparable, and perhaps superior to, the effects of caffeine," said the researchers.

The report was published in the journal Appetite .

People in the UK drink around 70 million cups of coffee a day.