How does chewing gum help our mental state?
7 January 2020, 13:21
Caller describes how chewing gum helps her daughter, who has autism, with sensory integration.
Mystery Hour Question
Does chewing gum help us to concentrate and if so, how?
Mike, Basingstoke.
Answer
Name: Catherine, Beaconsfield.
Qualification: Experience of the effects of chewing gum on her daughter.
Answer: Catherine explained that people with autism struggle with sensory integration and chewing gum helps to keep her daughter calm. Catherine described how the action of chewing moves the pressure from the mouth and jaw to the brain, which has a calming effect that can improve concentration. She likened the effects to the use of pressure in a massage.
