Why does coffee make me feel drunk and relaxed?

An independent coffee shop in Shanghai ran a campaign called Recycle the Heat's Unhappiness during a stretch of high-temperature alerts. Customers wrote worries on sticky notes and fed them into a shredder, then took free iced coffee from a cold cabinet. The ritual and the caffeine together were meant to ease the irritability that builds up in summer heat.

The event drew wide discussion on social platforms, with many commenters praising the idea. As for why does coffee make me feel drunk, the answer is not alcohol: research indicates moderate coffee drinking promotes dopamine secretion, which lifts mood and can produce a light, relaxed sensation. Is coffee a mood tool, then? Evidence suggests the effect is real but modest, tied to dosage and context.

The intense heat of midsummer continues to rage on, with high-temperature alerts issued in many places one after another, and people's moods growing increasingly irritable in the heatwaves. An independent coffee shop in Shanghai came up with a unique public welfare event called "Recycle the Heat's Unhappiness," inviting customers to write their worries on sticky notes and feed them into a shredder, while also offering free iced coffee, using the dual effects of caffeine and ritual to help people release stress. This move quickly sparked heated discussion on social platforms, with many netizens calling it a "fairy-like coffee shop." In fact, coffee's positive impact on mood is no empty talk—multiple studies have confirmed that moderate coffee consumption can promote dopamine secretion, thereby lifting one's mood.

The hottest period of the year has arrived, with multiple cities continuously issuing high-temperature warnings, and not long ago Chongqing was so hot that even museum buildings showed signs of melting. For office workers who commute daily, high temperatures plus life pressure undoubtedly make emotions more prone to irritation. Against this backdrop, a coffee shop in Shanghai launched a "Recycle the Heat's Emo" event that attracted the attention of many netizens.

According to media reports, this coffee shop in Shanghai spontaneously organized a heartwarming event called "Recycle the Heat's Unhappiness." The owner prepared sticky notes in the store, and customers could write down recent things that made them unhappy, then stuff them into a shredder to be destroyed, symbolizing the complete elimination of negative emotions and completing a "unhappiness recycling" ritual.

The owner also stocked free iced coffee in the cold drink cabinet next to the shredder, available for customers to take at will, so that everyone could use a cup of refreshing coffee to calm their minds and relax in the scorching summer.

In an interview, the owner mentioned that because Shanghai had been continuously issuing high-temperature warnings recently, many negative emotions were further amplified by the heat, so they wanted to find an appropriate way to help everyone relieve these negative emotions, and wished everyone could maintain a happy mood every day.

On Weibo, some netizens left comments expressing their "envy."

Other netizens commented that seeing the existence of such a coffee shop made them feel very warm inside.

Faced with the endless uncertainties in life, people often feel overwhelmed. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, negative emotions kept accumulating, and with the monotonous work-and-home routine, opportunities for socializing outside dropped significantly, leaving very few outlets for emotional release. But now, life's various disappointments can actually be poured out at a coffee shop on the street corner, helping people regain control of their emotions. Such a creative idea resonated with many people.

Besides venting troubles to exchange for a good mood, drinking coffee itself actually helps with emotional regulation. In 2021, a survey conducted by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee across European countries showed that the ongoing pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health of the general public, but the survey also found that increased coffee consumption helped improve emotional states during the pandemic, with nearly half (44%) of respondents saying that spending time each day drinking a few cups of coffee had a positive effect on emotional regulation.

A large body of scientific research has confirmed that coffee consumption stimulates the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is a chemical that produces feelings of pleasure. Therefore, drinking coffee not only makes you more alert and doubles your work efficiency, but also helps improve your mood.

If you're feeling unhappy, that's okay—why not have a cup of coffee first and add a bar to your emotional health meter.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.