Drink before you think – experts
The following was published in the Pretoria News on 19 April 2012 on page 9:
LONDON: Forget expensive private tutors and brain-boosting vitamins. The key to exam success could be as simple as a glass of water.
Students who took a drink into the exam hall did up to 10 percent better than those who did not. Although it is not clear why a drink should help, one theory is that information flows more freely between brain cells when they are well hydrated.
Researchers said that drinking water may also calm nerves, while those who became thirsty during test time could be more easily distracted.
The study compared whether they took a drink into the exam with their final marks.
The students’ overall academic ability was then factored in, to ensure that the results were not skewed by the possibility that smarter students are also more thirsty. Those who arrived armed with drinks did about 5 percent better on average. But those just starting out at university improved by as much as 10 percent, the annual conference of the British Psychological Society heard. – Daily Mail
unknown, Pretoria News (19 April 2012) Morning Edition, page 9
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