The childhood treat that helps ease anxiety and sharpen focus

One of the first things you learn when you start taking care of yourself is that you can eat candy whenever you want. The next thing you learn is why your parents told you not to. As someone with a serious sweet tooth, I find it hard to resist any dessert — from layered chocolate creations to the quirky ones that mix sweet and salty — yet I’ve been cutting back in the name of keeping my body as healthy as possible. I’m not one to demonize food, but I do believe that most sweets aren’t meant to be eaten in large amounts, especially those additive-packed candies we once wished could replace our meals. So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon an intriguing claim: sour candy might actually help calm anxiety.

I thought that if this was really true, I needed to get a bag of my favorite rainbow-colored sour gummies right away — and keep them next to my laptop at all times. Definitely better than biting my nails. Still, the claim sparked a wave of skepticism in me. If sour candy truly helps calm anxiety and relieve stress, why hadn’t we heard about it sooner? That’s why I decided to reach out to a psychologist to see whether this was just another myth invented by die-hard gummy lovers (I know a few), and then to a few nutritionists to find out whether this viral tip makes any sense from a health perspective.

How sour candy eases anxiety

Psychologist Dr. Anđela Đinđić surprised me by confirming that the claim is, in fact, true — eating sour candy can have a short-term effect on mood and focus. So naturally, I grabbed a bag (I needed a snack while writing). She explained that the reason lies in sensory stimulation: “A sour taste is a strong stimulus that activates the nerve responsible for transmitting information to the brain and controlling the muscles used for chewing. It conveys sensations such as acidity, heat, or cold. This stimulation can momentarily ‘wake up’ the nervous system, increase the feeling of presence, and help direct attention to the present moment.” Our brain also associates sweets with small doses of pleasure. As Dr. Đinđić explains, “The combination of intense sourness and sweetness triggers the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, which can temporarily boost mood, focus, and energy levels.”

She also points to what’s known as a somatic interruption mechanism or body-based distraction. Since anxiety often traps us in spirals of thought and worry, a sour taste can redirect attention from racing thoughts to physical sensation. “An intense sour flavor can shift awareness from the head to the body, creating a momentary sense of presence and interrupting the cycle of overthinking.” However, she emphasizes that this short-term effect “doesn’t address the root causes of anxiety or permanently change emotional responses.” In other words, sour candy may help you calm down in the moment — but it’s hardly a magic cure. (Even if a bag of rainbow-colored gummies does look like something out of a fairytale potion cabinet.)

“In small amounts and occasionally, sour candy can be a harmless tool for refocusing attention, but it’s not a healthy long-term coping mechanism for anxiety,” Dr. Đinđić adds. Using food to manage emotions, she warns, is “a slippery slope,” since “relying on sour candy for relief can reinforce emotional eating patterns and increase both psychological and physical dependence on such foods.”

Angela Serrano

What nutritionists say?

While sour candy really can take the edge off anxiety, my conversation with the psychologist convinced me that pinning too much hope on it might not be the best idea — emotional eating worries me almost as much as anxiety itself. Still, I decided to consult a few nutritionists, just in case I ever find myself reaching for a handful of gummies in search of quick relief. Nutritionist Nevena Pandža, M.Sc., agrees that colorful sour gummies can indeed distract you from stress or panic, but she points out that “the composition of most sour gummy candies on the market is primarily based on sugar, glucose syrup, gelatin, acids such as citric and fumaric acid, and fruit or plant concentrates. Some may be fortified with vitamins and minerals, but their nutritional profile can’t really be considered relevant when it comes to improving focus or reducing anxiety.” However, she offers a healthier alternative for anyone who likes the idea of a “sour fix” to manage stress: “Gummies are a once-in-a-while treat — fun food. For those who find the sensory experience calming, I recommend trying a small handful of dried sour cherries instead. They still deliver that sour kick, but also provide fiber, minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron, as well as naturally occurring sugars.”

Nutritionist Amela Ivković O’Reilly agrees, emphasizing the downsides of consuming sour candy too often. “Sugar causes a rapid spike in glucose, but the effect is short-lived, often followed by a drop in energy and mood. Acids combined with sugar increase the risk of enamel erosion, especially if consumed frequently throughout the day, and there’s also a risk of developing emotional eating as a coping mechanism for stress.” Her advice: treat sour gummies as an ‘SOS trick’ — in acute moments, have one or two small candies, but avoid eating them after every meal. “For long-term anxiety relief and better focus,” she adds, “you’ll get far better results from keeping your blood sugar stable through balanced meals, incorporating omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and B vitamins, practicing breathing techniques and mindfulness, getting good sleep, exercising regularly, and spending time in natural daylight.”