Say it’s not so.  At the risk of offending some of my readers (sorry!) I really hate watching people chew gum.  The only thing worse is listening to people chew gum.  Maybe my dislike of the substance comes from my father’s disdain for the stuff when I was growing up and the fact that I was forbidden from chewing it, or maybe it’s the fact that I’m acutely aware that I look like a cow when I chew gum.  I’m all for banning the stuff along with chewing tobacco and steroids.  But, despite my personal opinion, according to an article in yesterday’s Boston Globe, gum may help you think better.  According to research by A. Scholey, et al., people who chewed gum while working on challenging mental tasks showed higher alertness and lower stress than those who weren’t chomping away.  The chewers had lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol than their empty mouthed counterparts.  The authors speculate that jawing on gum may increase bloodflow or metabolism.   I’d still rather see you take a good brisk walk around the block to get your blood flowing or connect with a friend or colleague for inspiration and to decompress.  Don’t take my word for it, ask your dentist.  Gum is bad for your teeth, bad for your image, bad for your personal budget (think how much money you’d save it you gave it up), a nuisance to the janitor in the building that houses the chair underwhich your affix the sticky lump when the flavors run out and you’ve had enough of it.  There are better ways of getting inspired and de-stressed.  I’m guessing that, if chewing gum brings the aforementioned benefits, so might eating an apple or some other healthy food.  Still chewing?   Good thing my web cam’s not turned on!