Students may be getting a tad more than they bargained for when they pull that next all-nighter with coffee mug in hand.

People who drink more than seven cups of coffee per day ‘-‘- or the equivalent amount of caffeine in other products ‘-‘- have a higher tendency to hear non-existent voices, see things that are not there and sense the presence of dead people, according to researchers at the Durham University, who interviewed 200 students about their coffee-drinking habits and their experiences after drinking a large amount. Their study was published Jan. 14.

‘We didn’t look at the effects of caffeine. We simply note this interesting association between caffeine,’ researcher Charles Fernyhough said in an email. ‘Our assumption is that most people have experiences like this from time to time, and they should not necessarily be seen as

pathological.’

A clear link is present between caffeine intake and production of the stress hormone cortisol, Fernyhough, a Durham University psychology lecturer, said. When there is an excess production of cortisol, these symptoms can occur.

However, higher stress levels and higher amounts of caffeine do not necessarily lead to hallucinatory effects, Fernyhough said.’

‘The correlation cannot be simply due to the fact that certain people are more stressed, therefore consume more caffeine and at the same time have more unusual experiences,’ Fernyhough said.

Yale University psychiatry professor Dr. Ralph Hoffman said that although hallucinations are a possible side effect of too much caffeine intake, an individual’s anxiety levels play a large role as well.

‘Anxiety, panic attacks and jitteriness are sometimes what make hallucinations worse,’ Hoffman said.

The research merely presents an association, not a strict cause for the symptoms, Fernyhough said.

Though it is not clear whether the study results come from an association or an effect, people should be aware of their daily caffeine intakes and the possible consequences of caffeine consumption, Boston University psychology professor James Cherry said.

‘Generally speaking, anything you put into your body, you like to be aware of,’ Cherry said. ‘Most people tend to know what the effects of caffeine are on their body.’

However, BU students said they doubted whether coffee leads to phantom voices.

College of Arts and Sciences senior Gloria Enciso said she does not think the study is true.

‘I drink a lot of tea and don’t hallucinate,’ Enciso said. ‘I don’t believe the study at all.’

CAS sophomore Jessica Sullivan said she was surprised and concerned by the study, considering the large number of students that drink a lot of coffee. The effects of caffeine should be investigated further, she said.

‘There must be kids on campus who drink that much coffee,’ Sullivan said. ‘I only drink one or two cups a day.’

College of Engineering freshman Caroline Grace said the findings do not surprise her.

‘When I am tired, I drink three cups of coffee a day, but I try to control it to one cup a day,’ Grace said. ‘I know the effects and am not surprised.’