--- title: Research Explains the Science and Psychology of Coffee description: In terms of what we desire throughout the average day we wish for coffee slightly less than sex and a bit more than alcohol. Regular... canonical: https://time.com/3860685/research-science-psychology-coffee/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-23T04:01:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:34.454Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Things You Need to Know About Coffee the Wonder-Beverage og:description: There's a reason why you feel good at a coffee shop og:url: https://time.com/3860685/research-science-psychology-coffee/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e40acd14f01cb12/6987eff10b72e317c26e2137/187326070-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: coffee-beans og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Things You Need to Know About Coffee the Wonder-Beverage twitter:description: There's a reason why you feel good at a coffee shop twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e40acd14f01cb12/6987eff10b72e317c26e2137/187326070-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Things You Need to Know About Coffee the Wonder-Beverage ## Video: Starbuck Announces Home And Office Coffee Delivery [Watch (HLS stream): Starbuck Announces Home And Office Coffee Delivery](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mly7ta9j.m3u8) (1:21)  _Published 2014-10-31. Starbucks announced Thursday it's planning a new online and mobile service that will deliver — yes, deliver — coffee, drinks and snacks of your desire right to your home or office in select locations._ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker May 23, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Black Coffee Black CoffeeGetty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker May 23, 2015 4:01 AM UTC * In terms of what we desire throughout the average day we wish for coffee [slightly less than sex and a bit more than alcohol](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-do-we-desire-most-frequently). Regular drinkers don’t really get a boost from coffee, they just [get their fix](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-coffee-really-make-you-more-alert). In fact when you haven’t had your coffee [everything with caffeine tastes better](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-everything-with-caffeine-taste-good). The strategic use of coffee can [make you more persuasive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-the-strategic-use-of-coffee-make-you-more). The smell of coffee actually [makes people nicer to one another](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-the-smell-of-cookies-make-us-nicer-to-eac). * The smell of coffee makes women [more likely to give out their phone number](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-starbucks-the-best-place-to-meet-women). Anything that gets the adrenaline flowing increases sexual arousal so coffee and a roller coaster [might be an excellent date idea](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-a-roller-coaster-and-a-red-bull-a-smart-fi). When things get stressful coffee [is a good idea for women but not for men](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-coffee-help-us-cope-with-stressful-meetin). Coffee has also been shown to[reduce depression in women](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-drink-might-reduce-depression-in-women). Pregnant women [definitely should not drink it](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-a-myth-that-pregnant-women-should-not-d). (Alcohol — in modest amounts — during pregnancy [can actually be a good thing](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-pregnant-women-who-drink-alcohol-have-smar).) * Coffee and cigarettes [make you smarter](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-coffee-and-cigarettes-make-you-smarter) but lung cancer sucks so better stick to coffee and donuts, [another combo which boosts brainpower](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-coffee-and-a-donut-improve-brainpower). The caffeine and glucose one-two punch can work in many forms, actually: Red Bull [boosts cognitive performance too](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-a-quick-and-easy-way-to-boost-cognitive). Just _looking_ at Red Bull [can be an enhancer](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-just-looking-at-red-bull-improve-performa). * Coffee helped produce some of the great works of literature: ask [Balzac](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-drugs-produced-which-classic-works-of-l). Then again, if you want to be creative maybe you don’t need more coffee: [you’re more creative when you’re exhausted](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-most-creative-when-were-exhausted). Or maybe you want to drink something else: [you’re more creative when you’re drunk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-more-creative-when-youre-drunk) too. (Adding Red Bull to Vodka doesn’t make you function better [but it will make you think you do](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-you-function-better-after-a-red-bull-and-v).) To make sure you’re productive after a nap [drink a cup of coffee right before laying down](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-ways-to-make-your-naps-blissful-and-awesome). (Caffeine takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in.) [This](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/this-is-your-brain-this-is-your-brain-on-caff) is your brain on coffee. * Most importantly, what’s the best way to use caffeine? Got you covered: [a neuroscientist gives you all the details you need](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/advice-on-how-to-best-use-caffeine-from-a-neu). **Join over 180,000 readers and get my free weekly email update** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-that-wonder-b/)**_._** Related posts: [What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/) [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/) [4 Lifehacks From Ancient Philosophers That Will Make You Happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/01/ancient-philosophers/) _Read next:_ [_How Much Coffee Should You Really Be Drinking?_](http://time.com/3739326/coffee-healthy-caffeine/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Download TIME’s mobile app for iOS to have your world explained wherever you go_](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/time-mobile/id328218429) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3860685/research-science-psychology-coffee/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3860685/research-science-psychology-coffee/"},"headline":"5 Things You Need to Know About Coffee the Wonder-Beverage","datePublished":"2015-05-23T04:01:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:49:34.454Z","description":"In terms of what we desire throughout the average day we wish for coffee slightly less than sex and a bit more than alcohol. 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