--- title: Coffee Addiction: It's In Your Genes description: A new genetic explanation for your caffeine cravings canonical: https://time.com/3481592/coffee-caffeine-addiction/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-08T16:09:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:07:31.544Z article:section: Health og:title: Addicted To Coffee? It's Probably In Your Genes og:description: A new genetic explanation for your caffeine cravings og:url: https://time.com/3481592/coffee-caffeine-addiction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6689c90cc24d23b/69875f385f570f5722b12909/coffee-crema.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4800 og:image:height: 2700 og:image:alt: coffee crema og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Addicted To Coffee? It's Probably In Your Genes twitter:description: A new genetic explanation for your caffeine cravings twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6689c90cc24d23b/69875f385f570f5722b12909/coffee-crema.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Addicted to Coffee? It's Probably in Your Genes > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. 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Oct 8, 2014 4:09 PM UTC If you feel like you literally could not survive a day without coffee, you might have your genes to thank (or blame). A new genome-wide [study](http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp2014107a.html) published in _Molecular Psychiatry_ has identified genetic variants that may have a lot to do with your coffee obsession. Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital looked at more than 120,000 coffee drinkers and found six markers linked to responsiveness to caffeine—some of which had been previously identified as being related to smoking initiation and other types of potentially addictive behaviors, but had never before been linked to coffee consumption, says Marilyn Cornelis, research associate in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the study. **MORE**: [You Asked: Is Coffee Bad For You?](http://time.com/3145435/is-coffee-bad-for-you/) Caffeine is a drug—a fact many of us forget until we madly crave a double shot. “There is controversy as to whether it can be addictive, and some of the genes that come up in the study suggest that’s quite possible,” Cornelis says. “The stimulating effects caffeine has would suggest that caffeine is a major driving in habitual coffee consumption at the genetic level.” **MORE**: [How Coffee Might Lower the Risk of Heart Failure](http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/27/moderate-coffee-consumption-lowers-heart-failure-risk/) The results might help add nuance to coffee research, she says, which generally treats everyone as the same. It could also help pinpoint people who’d most benefit from coffee consumption, and who should stick to decaf. “We assume that any health effects from one cup of coffee will be the same for everyone, but this data suggests that’s not true,” Cornelis says. Scientists have known for a long time that genetics play a role in coffee consumption and caffeine response, Cornelis says. “But it’s only until just recently that we’ve actually been able to pinpoint these exact genetics. That’s an important step forward in the research.” ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? 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Here's proof that everybody could use a belly laugh. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3481592/coffee-caffeine-addiction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3481592/coffee-caffeine-addiction/"},"headline":"Addicted to Coffee? 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