Credits: Social Media
I tried tricking my body with decaf coffee everyday for a week to see if I got the placebo effect
Like just about everyone else I know family, friends, postmen, fishmongers I drink coffee regularly. I can forgo it if I need to, but Id rather not. Besides, Ive read up on it and know that its good for me. Caffeine is the ultimate nootropic. Its basically a wonder drug.
But I was curious. Im interested in coffee alternatives like turmeric latte and matcha but have never been able to develop a habit of preparing them in the mornings. Beet smoothies are well and good (and much vaunted), but I like a hot beverage first thing. Something about the flavor of a freshly brewed cup of coffee and the simple yet comforting process of making it makes it hard to want to switch it up. But still, I was curious. So, I tried the closest caffeine-free alternative for a week, to see if Id get the placebo effect and feel caffeinated. Enter decaf.
Why I chose to try drinking decaf coffee instead of a different coffee alternative
The thing about making and drinking decaffeinated coffee is that its almost exactly the same experience as making and drinking regular coffee.
You can even get decaf coffee beans, which means you can grind at home for the full oracular shebang. The sound of the grind, the chocolatey aroma.
Full disclosure: I havent been grinding my beans at home. Im not set up for that right now. But I enjoy the process of spooning ground coffee from the coffee tin into the cafeti�re, pouring off-the-boil water over the top in the specific way my parents taught me, waiting the requisite handful of coffee bean-sized minutes, and plunging.
They say one of the reasons its so hard to give up cigarettes, especially for those who roll their own, is because the process of rolling becomes part of the ritual, as hard to give up as the nicotine itself. Well, maybe theres something of that in drinking coffee, too.
Whether its popping into the local roasters to pick up a sack of beans, or stopping in at a particular independent coffee shop on your way to work and chewing the fat with your regular barista, habits can be hard to shake. And for good reason. We live by them. They regulate our moods and provide regular anchors throughout the day.
Reaching for the placebo effect
In clinical trial settings, placebo-receiving patients dont know theyre receiving placebos. Thats the whole point.
I knew exactly what I was doing. But in less formal settings, this still counts as a placebo& right? I was giving myself a fake treatment, but even if my logical mind knew it didnt contain caffeine, all the other parts of the process remained the same. I took coffee from the coffee tin. I brewed it in a cafeti�re. It tasted like coffee when I drank it. The question is: did it work?
The answer is: sort of.
It was, at times, hard to suspend my awareness of the difference in taste. This may have been because the decaf coffee I was drinking just wasnt particularly good coffee. It may have been because my mind was telling my brain This coffee lacks something very important! Who knows?
All in all, however, I found the decaf substitute to be more or less effective in waking my body and brain up to face the day. The flavor of coffee, the warmth of the beverage, and the familiarity of the routine triangulated and, in concert, provided me with the necessary pick-me-up.
But and heres the catch I did find myself hankering after a real coffee an hour and a half later. So, take from that what you will.
