Coffee, happiness, and the bee buzz

 

Coffee apparently makes someone happier (especially the grumpy not-morning people types).

Plus, there's something interesting at the end.

Your Coffee in the Morning May Be Linked to Greater Happiness

Morning caffeine boosts happiness and enthusiasm in regular consumers, with smaller effects on reducing sadness.

"Regular caffeine consumers report feeling happier and more enthusiastic after drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Warwick and Bielefeld University. The effect was most evident in the morning, when caffeine consumption led to a marked increase in positive mood compared with mornings when participants had not yet consumed caffeine.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, followed 236 young adults in Germany over a period of up to 4 weeks. Participants completed brief mood assessments on their smartphones 7 times a day and noted whether they had consumed a caffeinated drink in the previous 90 minutes."

And here's the fun and interesting part:

"Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance globally, with around 80% of adults regularly consuming it. The researchers note that caffeine use extends beyond humans – for example, bees and bumblebees have been shown to prefer nectar from caffeine-containing plants."

So possibly the next time you hear a buzz, it might be a buzzed bee (however, I don't know what plants in the United States or North America are caffeinated).    [The reference is below the picture.]

Reference: Hachenberger J, Li YM, Realo A, Lemola S. The association of caffeine consumption with positive affect but not with negative affect changes across the day. Scientific Reports, 2025, 15(1):28536. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-14317-0