Geek Culture! Why We Love Caffeine

It’s the component in many of our favorite sodas. It makes our coffee worth it in the morning. You can get in mints, gum, and now even sunflower seeds (I am not making this up.). I am talking about caffeine and in all its stimulating and wonderful glory.

I know many of you would not be able to properly start your day without a cup of coffee, a bottle of Mtn. Dew, or any of the other energy drinks that contain caffeine. It’s the stimulating factor that we are going for and we all need to survive our jobs when we’d rather be playing video games or doing other geeky pursuits.

Just about every hardware tech I have worked with loves to drink Mtn. Dew. They go through bottles like crazy. Computer techs that have more desk-based jobs tend to lean toward coffee and such. I myself prefer coffee.

Preferences vary as much as tastes. Some may drink Coke over Pepsi, Mtn. Dew over either, or whatever. My personal favorite is Dr. Pepper. There are some stronger caffeinated energy drinks out there on the market such as Jones Whoopass, which has the awesome slogan of “Revitalizes Attitude and Restores Faith in Humanity.” That is a mighty claim. Other caffeinated energy drinks include Brawndo (The Thirst Mutilator!), Monster, and Bawls.

Interested in other caffeinated products other than sunflower seeds? How about soap and cookies? Caffeine is a very versatile chemical. Don’t forget wonderful caffeinated things like Black Black gum and Penguin Caffeinated Mints.

The question is why do geeks love caffeine? Simple! It gives us the drive to play our games, be they video or tabletop, work on the computer, and tolerate stupid idiots. Ta-da! It helps us hold on to our sanity and keep going. It is another geek thing that binds us all together. Plus, you can get caffeine just about anywhere.  Here is my case and point.

I was at a local gas station and just took in the wonderful cooler shelves of caffeinated energy drinks.  And then there were the sodas.  And the teas.  And the coffee drinks.  There was caffeine everywhere and in many forms and for any taste.  When going to pay, I noticed many energy drink companies also make these “shots” drinks that are highly concentrated and give you a fast burst of energy that lasts for a few hours.  You have to be careful with these, but hey, it’s still caffeine!  Oh, and if you think someone is trying to make you cut back, you can always use this handy tool.

Now, caffeine is also beneficial. It’s the stuff that it’s mixed in with that isn’t, all that sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  That’s in your sodas and carbonated drinks.   Looking at a glass of coffee, here are some health benefits from caffeine:

• Two cups of coffee a day may reduce your risk of colon cancer by 20 percent
• Two cups a day may cause an 80 percent drop in cirrhosis of the liver
• Caffeine has also been found to be beneficial to those suffering from asthma and headaches.

Pretty interesting stuff! Of course, the downside caffeine that it can make some hormones in your body go wacky if you drink too much and too late in the day. It’s all about moderation! But geeks usually aren’t known for caffeine moderation, are we!

Sources: Caffeine, Stress and You’re Health: Friend or Foe: http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/caffeine.htm

How Caffeine Works: http://health.howstuffworks.com/caffeine5.htm