Shortcut to sharper thinking

While crunching numbers to figure out your budget, consider brewing a pot of coffee—it could improve your analytical skills, say researchers in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. When subjects took a math test in a room that was coffee-scented, they scored significantly higher than their counterparts in an odorless room. The reason: Since coffee is associated with alertness and energy, when we smell it, we expect to perform better, boosting confidence so we actually do.