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Could something as straightforward as sour candy contain the cure for panic attacks? The answer is yes, according to TikTokers and other online sources—and, intriguingly, many mental health experts concur.
The idea behind the viral craze is that when a panic attack or anxiety attack strikes, sucking on tart candies diverts the brain’s attention away from unpleasant feelings and focuses it on the sour, tingling sensation in the mouth. There are several TikTok movies that laud the merits of having sour candies on hand for those times when anxiety strikes, like on an airplane or before giving a speech. Currently, 22.5 million people have looked up “sour candy for anxiety” on the platform.
But how well does science support the TikTok craze? Here are the opinions of specialists.
Chewing sour candies is a diversion strategy, much like the sensory shock of snapping a rubber band on the wrist to reduce anxiety. It causes the brain to focus on the bold, powerful flavor in the tongue rather than the feelings of dread, worry, and overload.
“When our amygdala activates the flight or fight response, panic sets in. Turning our focus to the present moment through our senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing—can help decrease our amygdala’s response and reduce fear, according to Toya Roberson-Moore, MD, associate medical director and psychiatrist at Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center.
“Sour candy quickly and intensely shifts our attention to the sense of taste, which in turn dampens our amygdala (the feeling part of the brain),” she explained.The result? The thinking part of our brain sends the message to the feeling part that we are not in actual danger.
Sucking on sour candies harnesses attention in the here and now. “A piece of sour candy may be enough to jerk someone from the mindless looping of anxiety and bring them back to the present,” mental health counselor John Delony, PhD, told Health.
