A survey and an experiment were conducted to investigate relationships between caffeine intake and self­reported anxiety. Previous investigations have documented correlations between anxiety levels and levels of caffeine intake, but there has been negligible experimental work in and detailed study of the area.

The experimental results showed that four hundred milligrams of caffeine in coffee, drunk by subjects sub­jected to a stressful situation, significantly increased self-reported anxiety levels.On the other hand, the same quantity of caffeine in coffee drunk under relatively stress-free conditions, had no significant impact on self­reported anxiety levels.

The survey showed that a third of the respondents reported that a II fairly important II reason for drinking coffee was the belief that coffee has a calming effect. 25% of males and 16% of females reported an increase in coffee consumption when under stress and 62% of males and 56% of females reported increasing their coffee intake during exam times and when they have a heavy workload; presumably times of significant stress.

Contrary to previous findings, there was no significant relationship between high anxiety levels and high caffeine intake, among the survey respondents.

It is concluded from the results that although a significant proportion of people tend to increase their consumption of coffee during times of stress, and believe that coffee will calm them down, it is actually unwise to consume large amounts of caffeine (in any form) when under stress, because this only intensifies the experience of anxiety.