Archive for January, 2009

Ghost in the Coffee Machine

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

The BBC reports that a new study has found that people drinking lots of coffee are more likely to hallucinate, see ghosts or hear strange voices. tile dayton ohio-Tippmann paintball guns-Reptile Supplies-Voi Jeans

People who drank more than seven cups of instant coffee a day were three times more likely to hallucinate than those who took just one, a study found. merrell shoes, merrellskin lightening creams

A Durham University team questioned 200 students about their caffeine intake, the journal Personality and Individual Differences reported.ghost_coffee_cup

However, academics say the findings do not prove a “causal link”.

They also stress that experiencing hallucinations is not a definite sign of mental illness and that about 3% of people regularly hear voices.

The study surveyed people to determine their daily caffeine intake and then assessed their susceptibility to hallucinations. Bloomberg says nine people out of 22 in the group drinking the most coffee experienced hallucinations and sensed the presence of dead people.

Nine of the 22 people in the highest-caffeine group reported hearing disembodied voices, compared with three of the 22 people in the lowest-caffeine group, Jones said. Participants also reported seeing things that weren’t there and sensing the presence of dead people.

22 people is a pretty small group so the study may not be significant but if you do start seeing dead people after drinking lots of coffee you might want to consider cutting back.