Caffeine Culture

Growing up, my parents always told me caffeine was bad for you.

“It stunts your growth,” they’d say, citing my older brother as an example.

As someone who binged soda and didn’t budge past 4 feet, 10 inches throughout middle school, my brother was the perfect fodder for my parents’ rules. But seeing as he is now 6 feet tall and his craving for Coca-Cola has not abated, I’ve become suspicious of my parents’ theory — can caffeine really be all that terrible for you?

My questions only increased with the start of the school year, after Harvard Student Agencies delivered a four-pack of Red Bull to our dormitories during my first week on campus. Here was an energy drink that I had always thought of as poison being offered openly and institutionally.

Yet this was not an isolated occurrence; caffeine seems pervasive at Harvard. In my 10:30 a.m. class, at least three to four students around me sip coffee or tea on a regular basis. I have seen more flavors of Red Bull in one class than I ever did growing up (yes, there’s more than just a blue can), and I’ve even overheard discussions about caffeine pills.

What Harvard students may fail to realize, however, is that caffeine is a drug. More specifically, it is a drug that is well absorbed by our bodies, with the ability to mimic the shape and form of adenosine, a sleep-inducing neurotransmitter in our brains. Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors and prevents the neurotransmitter from producing its effects, which not only promotes excitatory neuron-firing but also stimulates our brain’s reward centers with dopamine, the pleasure juice. Opiates, cocaine, and alcohol are all drugs that can increase dopamine levels in our brains and bring about pleasure-seeking cravings similar to those associated with caffeine.

As interesting as this may be, I seriously doubt that anyone is thinking about the neurochemistry behind boosting their dopamine levels when enjoying their morning cup of joe.

A morning cup of caffeine in the form of tea or coffee is a habit that has become ingrained in American society. Take the Massachusetts-based company Dunkin Donuts, whose slogan “America Runs on Dunkin” perfectly embodies the idea that coffee fuels us throughout the day.

Coffee is central to student meetings, dates, and studying — to the point that some libraries, like Cabot Science Library, boast a café to attract students. The coffee industry nets billions of dollars in yearly profit, and the average American spends more than a thousand dollars on coffee each year. It is truly the most popular drug in the country.

But why is there such a nationwide reliance on caffeine? Although consuming it in small doses can boost your spirits or energy levels, higher doses of caffeine, like any stimulating drug, can be addictive.

As we drink more and more coffee, for example, we need higher and higher doses to reach similar levels of wakefulness, which could lead to a phenomenon known as tolerance that in the end might prove deleterious. Tolerance explains why, with time, a morning cup of coffee just doesn’t do the trick, and a midday Starbucks run becomes an absolute necessity. With time, your body becomes caffeine-dependent. Levels of excitatory neurotransmitters like norepinephrine fall, and your body begins to rely on caffeine for that excitatory high.

This is where caffeine can get dangerous. Drinking more than the recommended 400mg of caffeine per day — equivalent to four cups of a standard coffee or approximately two “energy shot” drinks — may lead to health issues. In the short term, caffeine consumption can cause insomnia and anxiety. And over the long term, although it is unlikely to stunt your growth (much to the chagrin of my parents), it can lead to digestive issues, dehydration, and heightened blood pressure.

As a student, the appeal of caffeine makes sense: drink a cup of coffee or an energy drink, gain some extra energy, and potentially have a few more hours of productivity. This bargain seems great — and it’s probably at least part of the reason why coffee was initially used. A popular origin story mentions an Ethiopian herder who saw his flock of sheep “dancing” after ingesting coffee beans. He subsequently shared the beans with a monk, who used them to maintain his attention for late-night prayers.

In other words, according to this legend, monks used caffeine to pull all-nighters — and if this usage is applicable to monks, it surely is applicable to zealous college students.

But, alas, drinking caffeine to delay sleep can be dangerous. We essentially end up cheating our bodies out of the rest and recuperation needed to be alert and productive. Caffeine brings pseudo-happiness to our brain, even though the rest of our body may be saying otherwise.

It is difficult to tell people to stop consuming caffeine. Even if it doesn’t seem to have many immediate effects, just the placebo anticipation of an energy high can make drinking a caffeinated beverage worth it.

So, here’s my takeaway: Like anything in life, caffeine consumption is quite alright in moderation. Science tells us that extremes like taking caffeine pills to stay awake or chugging energy drinks are probably not going to do you any good in the long run, but a Mocha Frappuccino every once in a while might actually be uplifting.

Sandhya Kumar ’26 lives in Greenough Hall. Her column, “Science ‘n Tradition,” runs on alternate Tuesdays.