--- 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=338&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 338 og:image:height: 190 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=338&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Things You Need to Know About Coffee the Wonder-Beverage > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=5a036de9-eee6-4b15-9791-27c931b79d20&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## 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 Coffee Getty 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) ## Transcript Gone are the days of standing in line for one maybe two possibly three whole minutes to grab your morning cup of joe. 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. Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz told investors on a conference call. Imagine the ability to create a standing order of Starbucks delivered hot to your desk daily. That's our version of e- commerce on steroids. All kidding aside, it does seem like the next logical leap for the global coffee chain. Though GeekWire points out they're actually a little late to the game in what appears to be a growing market. Other online food and beverage delivery services like Postmates, Grubhub and Caviar have already hit the market. But Starbucks has one obvious leg up on the competition, it has actual stores you can visit, the new venture also comes at a good time for the Seattle based coffee chain. Stocks dipped a bit after announcing it fell short of fourth quarter earnings, though the companies earnings 10 %, which shows you the kind of expectations the company has to live up to. CNBC say's the new online mobile delivery service will start in Portland Oregon, next month, and will spread to other locations throughout the country next year. ```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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