Are You A Herd Follower?

Break free, be you…

Currently I am on a course learning about how to understand current market conditions and how to maneuver through them in these challenging times.

Everyone in the course seems very intelligent and if not at the top of their game, very near it. They all strike me as being independent thinkers and more suited to be leaders rather than followers.

The course instructor is intelligent and quick-witted and keeps everyone engaged. However, I couldn’t help but notice that he made a point of telling us the times of the coffee breaks, where the coffee was located and how much it costs.

At the break times more than half of the attendees would have a cup of coffee or at least debate having one. No big deal. A few of them in conversation told me that they needed their coffee in the morning to wake up, others said they drink out of habit.

This got me thinking about a study I read that suggested that a lot of people start drinking coffee or caffeine drinks because of social or work etiquette. The study went on to say that those who do have a caffeine dependency tended to develop them whilst working or studying.

So, in this article I’ll be looking into the role of peer pressure plays in peoples caffeine dependency.

The Most Consumed Legal Stimulant
Pressure
Uniquely You
Review
Conclusion

break out from the herd — Photo by Theo Leconte @theoo on Unsplash A cow

The Most Consumed Legal Stimulant

Caffeine is the most commonly used legal stimulant. The majority of us get our fix via coffee, tea and soda.

It is noted in Wikipedia as a “Notable Stimulant” and is stated as being the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug.
Stimulant, Wikipedia

Yet most don’t see it as a drug and rarely think about the effects that overdosing may have on their physiology. Caffeine is seen as normal and is entrenched in our culture. The following quote from Scientific American indicates how caffeine consumption has become part of our daily experience:

“Morning commuters seem to fall into one of two categories: the Caffeinated and the Un-caffeinated…
The Caffeinated are bright-eyed and engaged with the day’s events already—they’re reading their morning papers, or checking email, or reading for pleasure…
This is not the case for the Un-Caffeinated. This group sleeps through the AM commute both on the commuter trains and the subway. They’re bleary eyed.
The line that runs out the door of the Starbucks across from my job never seems to shrink. Are the ranks of the Caffeinated growing?
The culture of coffee has been carefully cultivated to ensure maximum reach.”
Krystal D’Costa August 11, 2011, Scientific American

Pressure

In 2018 the global caffeine market was valued at $340 million, of which North America was the largest consumer (12,572 metric tons), 36% of global consumption.

Caffeine production is dominated by 11 companies, which account for 89% of global production. China is the largest global producer with a 54% share in the market. India is the second largest producer. The biggest companies are:

CSPC
BASF
Shandong Xinhua
Kudos Chemie Limited
Aarti Healthcare
Zhongan Pharmaceutical
Jilin Shulan
Youhua Pharmaceutical
Spectrum Chemical

MarketWatch

The market is expected to grow to $610 million by 2025. This translates to a projected increase in demand of 179.41%. Where do you think that demand is going to come from?

The global coffee industry is worth over $100 billion, and is currently experiencing compound annual growth rate of 5.5%.

“the coffee market is currently experiencing considerable growth in economies around the world, with the rise in urbanization and the demand for quick, quality product fueling the expansion. The market is expected to continue to inflate in the next five years, leaving ample room for returns and profit.”
Andrew Menke, The Global Coffee Industry, Global Edge

Manufactured demand for caffeine products is well underway now. Maybe it’s time to start asking questions about why you consume caffeinated products.

Is it really your choice, or is something/someone else at work here?

Uniquely You

And now we can look at the bigger picture a bit clearer. Cultural norms can be created to get us to act in predetermined ways. Whilst good for companies, they are not necessarily always for our benefit.

I have outlined some of the effects of the overconsumption of caffeine in other articles in an attempt to bring awareness to this issue.

I believe that the best way to deal with the effects of over consuming caffeine is to take positive actions that will help us to reclaim control over our lives and ourselves.

This blog and our app, V-CAF, is an attempt by us to try to make a difference by being the difference we want to see in the world.

The following tips are things that I found useful to help me overcome my tiredness and lack of motivation:

Exercise – raises energy the old fashioned way by increasing our body’s capability to deal with stress, and expands endurance. The benefits are too numerous to list here but, it just works.
Sleep – exercise helps us to have better quality deeper sleep. Sometimes the amount of sleep is not enough, but deep quality sleep is what we should be striving for.
Tiredness – feeling tired led to the development of V-CAF an Apple Watch app that subtlety informs you when you are most likely to fall asleep. By knowing that you are tired you can take measures to help bring your alertness and focus back to where you need it more efficiently.
Eat well – good quality whole foods will give your body the fuel it needs to get through the day. Also by eating healthily you can increase your energy and raise your mood.
Drink Water – keeping your brain hydrated will do wonders for your focus and alertness whilst helping your body to cleanse itself.

Review

Don’t follow the herd and take control of yourself. There is nothing wrong with drinking coffee or consuming caffeinated products in moderation. However, if you find yourself doing anything because of habit, ask yourself why?

Here are the takeaways: