Investigating the effects of tea, water and a positive affect induction on mood and creativity

• First study to address the immediate mood effects of tea consumption.
• Tea consumption leads to increased valence compared to water.
• Increases in valence were similar to a validated positive mood induction.

Positive affect has been shown to be predictive of improved creativity. This study investigated the immediate effect of the tea experience on positive affect and creativity, compared to both a neutral and positive control condition. Regular tea drinkers (N = 150) were allocated to three conditions: (1) tea preparation and consumption, (2) water consumption, or (3) a positive affect induction. Participants completed the Affect Grid pre and post intervention, and measures of creativity and motivation post intervention. Tea consumption increased the valence dimension of mood, similar to the positive affect induction. Although it was expected that positive affect induction and tea consumption would improve creativity, we observed a trend in that direction on one measure of creativity (showing faster insights for difficult problems), but the effect did not reach statistical significance. Our study shows that a simple everyday activity such as tea consumption can effectively boost mood immediately after consumption.