“The pleasures of the table reside in the mind, not the mouth.”
Humans have 5 senses: vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. These senses appear distinct, however, they’re interconnected.
The 5 distinct senses interact with each other through ‘Cross-modal connections/ interactions’ present in the brain. Due to the presence of these connections, our coffee tastes stronger in white cups, or that creamier things tend to be perceived as sweeter than rough things, for example, a smooth creamy ice cream!
Flavors of different foods have at least 3 basic elements: somatic element (comprises of the texture and temperature), olfactory element (smell of food), and gustatory element (when food is ingested). There are so many factors that affect the taste of a certain food, some of which are listed down below:
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Acquired learning: The food items that are perceived as delicious in a particular socio-cultural context can be rejected from the list of edible substances in another one. For example, in Japan, preparation with locusts is enjoyed by people, while in India, people wouldn’t consider eating the same.
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Color of the food: The visual recognition of food impacts the way it tastes. For example, a bright red color apple is perceived as tastier than a dull red shaded apple.
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The mood of the eater: This is one of the most important contributing factors to taste and the reason behind the amount of emphasis that’s put on the interior design of a restaurant. A restaurant that’s perceived as polished and beautiful often creates an image of their food to be equally delicious! Also, when people experience a low mood, they do not find their food to be tasty.
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Sound: This comprises the sound that is elicited when the food is being eaten up by the people. For example, chips that sound crunchier are perceived to be tastier than others.
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The smell of the food: Research has found a strong relationship between olfaction and taste. The food that smells good is considered to be tasty. For example, when people experience a stuffy nose due to cold, the taste of the food is lowered too!
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Name and price of a dish: Various studies have found that food becomes tastier when you pay more for it. It tastes even better when it has an extravagant name, for instance, BFF veg signature wrap!
So to conclude, it’s found that behind the taste of foods it’s just not our taste buds but so much more! The food industries have been using these psychological tricks to make their food taste better. There are several types of research going on in this field to understand the psychology of taste better. This blog leaves an insight about the same for the readers. Bon appétit!
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About the Author.
Ms. Sharmistha Halder is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.