Caffeine - 04/01/21

 Hello Caffeinated Humans, 

Book 18: Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World (8/10)

Premise: The History of Caffeine and it's effects on the modern human. 

Caffeine is an large part of many peoples lives, the most consumed drug in the modern world, and one of the only drugs we freely give to children. Soda, Coffee, and Tea are the most common sources of caffeine, although a short search through my house shows chocolate covered pre-workouts, a chocolate spread, and a chocolate covered espresso bean snack. However in the beginning there were only two, coffee and tea. This book heavily focuses on coffee, the author's Michael Pollan's medium of choice. 

The author gives up caffeine for several months while writing this book. He talks about the the withdrawal effects and it's effect on him. Loss of concentration and motivation after years of consuming caffeine daily. But caffeine has positive effects, it can up brain activity to help concentrate on specific tasks. So it's no surprise that whenever coffee and tea are introduced to a new society it seems to spark a mental/industrial revolution. 

However caffeine can have negative side effects as well. The amount of coffee shops (especially Starbucks) that pop up show a direct correlation with the lack of sleep people are getting across the United States. It is also addictive, caffeine withdrawal can give bad headaches, grogginess, and trouble concentrating. Basically everything we drink coffee to get rid of hits you all at once. 

This book is only available on audio format, and only available on Audible. It's only about 4 hours long, but it is a great overview about the history and effects, both negative and positive of coffee. If you have a chance to listen I highly recommend it. 

So remember to watch how much caffeine you consume,

And remember dear readers, Stay Vivid.