Peppermint Candy Affects Reaction Time

Many people don't understand the effects on peppermint candy to the brain's reaction time. The experiment is telling if peppermint candy has an effect on reaction time. Reaction time can be affected by many things such as their normal reaction time, eating peppermints, a volunteers nervous system, a person's defects, or their genetics.

One topic that is a big part in the experiment, testing how reaction time is affected by the influence of peppermint candy, is reaction time. Reaction time can be defined as the amount of time an organism takes to respond to stimulus, or a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue. For example, the International Encyclopedia of The Social Sciences explained reaction time

as, “When a human subject follows instructions to make a specific response as soon as he can after the presentation of a specific signal, the latency of the response is called reaction time (RT)...” (para. 1, 1968) There are also many theories of how exactly reaction time works, one of them is the Descartes’ Theory. For instance, the International Encyclopedia of The Social Sciences explains how the Descartes’ Theory works in human reaction, there are vibrations sent through the body which give out energy turned into emotion and also causes the body to act. (para, 4, 1968) Some factors of reaction time are defects and also what hand is dominant. For example, the article on KidsHealth.org shares some information about a common birth defect that highly effects motor skills, “Since cerebral palsy affects muscle control and coordination, even simple movements, like standing still, are difficult.” (para.6, 2015) Genetics also play a huge role in reaction time. According to The Census at School Canada, females age 13 right handed volunteers had an average of 0.48 second when left handed 13 year olds had an average of 0.49 seconds. ( Canada, 2007) Reaction time is a huge part of the experiment testing how peppermints affect reaction time.

Another topic in the experiment, testing if the influence of peppermint candy affects reaction time, is peppermint.

Peppermint can be defined as the aromatic leaves of a plant of the mint family, or an essential oil obtained from them, used as a flavoring in food. For instance, WebMD explains the common uses for peppermint in food, peppermints can be used as flavoring agents, and are a common holiday flavor used in many thing such as coffee drinks and cookies.(WebMD, 2009) Peppermints are still technically a chemically enhanced food. For example, Chi Phung explains what chemicals are used to make the hybrid mint, or a mint containing two or more chemicals, methanol creates the mints cooling effect and menthone makes the icy scent. (Chi Phung, 2013) Peppermint essential oils are often used for medical uses as well. According to WebMD, the oil can used for the side effects of the common cold, more specifically coughing, inflammation in the mouth or throat, sinus infections, and bacterial growth.(WebMD, 2009) Also, WebMD states that the oil can be used for digestive problems such as, heart burn, vomiting, cramps, a simple upset stomach, morning sickness, and more serious issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). (WebMD,

2009)

The next important subject involved in the experiment testing how reaction time is affected by the influence of peppermints, is the nervous system. The nervous system is a complex body system that controls every function in the entire human body. According to KidsHealth.org, there are two main parts of the nervous system, the brain and the spinal column. Some main parts of the brain are the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem. The regions of the spinal column are the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and the coccygeal regions. (Dowshen, 2015) The nervous system works by sending signals to different parts of the body. For example KidsHealth.org, explains the signals, sensory neurons or signals take information from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin and tell the brain, then the brain processes it and tells the body how to react. Also from KidsHealth.org, Dowshen explains how different parts of the brain take on certain jobs, for instance the cerebellum controls hand-eye coordination used in the experiment. (Dowshen, 2015) It is important to understand the nervous system while examining the experiment testing how peppermints affect reaction time.

The final important topic within the experiment testing how reaction is affected by peppermint candy is the theory of how peppermint stimulates the brain.

The theory is that peppermint stimulates the brain in a calm way reducing stress and anxiety. For example Mortensen explains what the theory is, “Peppermint also increased their alertness while helping them maintain a sense of calm.” According to research by Mortensen, even just the scent of peppermint can lighten a stressful atmosphere.(Mortenson, 2015) The theory has been proven as true by the simple fact that the holiday candy stimulates brain activity. For instance Mortenson describes the effect of peppermints to the brain, the hybrid mint increases oxygen and blood pressure and then brings the blood and oxygen to the brain. This oxygen and blood are used and increases concentration and focus. (Mortenson, 2015) The mint used in the experiment has been proven to increase the brain's natural

abilities.

In summary, peppermint candy has a huge effect on the reaction of a human being. The reaction of volunteers can be affected by their normal reaction time, the influence of peppermint, their nervous system, their genetics and any possible defects.