- Research has found a link between lower stress levels and drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee daily.
- The association with coffee and mental health is a J-shaped curve. Coffee drinkers showed the lowest risk of a mental health diagnosis when they drank two to three cups a day but the effects disappeared at 5 or more drinks.
- Coffee can affect the body in multiple ways. Doctors say caffeine and antioxidants may be the reason behind people’s mood and alertness.
HAVING A DAILY cup or two of coffee can make you feel alert, but science suggests it could serve up perks for your mental health too.
A recent study in the Journal of Affective Disorders has found a clear link between coffee and a lower risk of mood and stress disorders. We’re not just talking decaf—the benefits extend to caffeinated beverages as well.
“We wanted to study this because the existing evidence on coffee and mental health has been inconsistent and incomplete,” says Xiang Gao, MD, PhD, study co-author and professor in the Institute of Nutrition at Fudan University. “Some studies have suggested that coffee may be linked to a lower risk of depression or anxiety, while others have found no clear association.”
This might sound like a huge reversal if you’ve been told your whole life that coffee makes you jittery and anxious. To be clear, it can if you go overboard. There is a J-curve pattern (more on that below) that scientists have mapped to understand when coffee helps and harms you.
How Much Coffee is Good for Mental Health?
THE MAGIC NUMBER is two to three cups a day. Here’s how they got to this specific range.
Dr. Gao and his team analyzed data taken from 461,586 people who were being followed for 13.4 years on their daily coffee intake. Within that time 18,220 participants developed mood disorders. Another 18,547 were diagnosed with stress disorders.
The team mapped out a J-shaped curve where coffee drinkers showed the lowest risk of a mental health diagnosis when they drank two to three cups a day. This pattern appeared regardless of people opting for decaf, ground, or instant coffee.
Since caffeine is a stimulant, the study found coffee’s stress-relieving effects disappeared after three cups. More specifically, Dr. Gao says a “higher intake, particularly five or more cups per day, did not appear to provide additional benefit and may even be linked to higher risk for some outcomes.”
Interestingly, the link between coffee and mental health was stronger in men than women. Dr. Gao says the differences in caffeine response is likely because women tend to metabolize caffeine more slowly. This may lead to higher circulating caffeine levels after they have the same amount of coffee.
“For most people, the message is that moderate coffee drinking can be part of a healthy lifestyle, but it should not be seen as a substitute for the fundamentals of mental health,” adds Dr. Gao.
How Moderate Coffee Intake May Reduce Stress
CAFFEINE HAS SEVERAL direct and indirect roles on the body.
Feel-good brain chemicals
Coffee contains several bioactive compounds, including caffeine and antioxidants, which can affect mood and alertness. Dr. Gao says caffeine in particular influences neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that play a role in mood regulation and stress responses.
Inflammation
Beyond the brain, there is evidence of coffee lowering inflammatory markers in the body. “The combination of the coffee bean complex and anti-inflammatory effect is a reasonable hypothesis,” says Peter R. Martin, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University. This is because coffee contains chlorogenic acid compounds that reduces oxidative stress in the body. Oxidative stress is when you have unstable molecules that can cause damage to DNA and other cell damage. (Research has consistently found a link between oxidative stress and psychiatric disorders.)
Changes in perception of fatigue
Yvette Sheline, MD, director of the Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, says coffee can improve mood by reducing the perception that you’re tired. This also may make someone more likely to do things like exercise regularly or interact with friends, both of which are known to lower the risk of mood and stress disorders. Plus, she notes that drinking coffee may lower stress because it’s often associated as a relaxing activity when catching up with friends or other social interactions.
Stress is a Multi-Dimensional Problem
STRESS IS A complicated issue. Your sleep schedule and existing stress levels likely factor into this association that scientists found between coffee and mood.
Case in point, Dr. Gao says people who drank less coffee were more likely to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. So not only are you waking up refreshed, Dr. Gao goes on to say that adequate sleep could enhance the potential benefits of coffee on stress.
We also can’t forget about tolerance. Dr. Sheline explains that how your body reacts to caffeine is huge. “People vary widely in the effect caffeine has on them,” she says. “There seems to be a sweet spot for everyone.”
For someone who isn’t an avid coffee drinker, the buzz might not feel so great. In that case, Dr. Sheline recommends other stress-reducing activities such as exercise, being out in nature, or getting together with friends.
If you do all that and already have a 2 to 3 cup coffee habit in place, Dr. Martin says you can feel good continuing on with it. “People have often said that coffee is bad for you, but research has found a whole variety of benefits,” he says. “This is just the latest.”
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
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