The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

How our brain influences our perception of taste

2021-03-18T16:34:34.769Z


We also eat with the eyes, they say, but not only! Neuroscience teaches us that the scents, texture, memories associated with th


The spectacle of a plate of spaghetti flooded with tomato sauce, the smell of the cake in the oven, the song of the loaf of bread being cut or the contact of the oyster shell in the palm of your hand ... A multitude of sensations that make our mouths water without even having started to eat!

Here are some keys to decipher the springs of our taste and understand the marketing tricks used to increase it tenfold, or sometimes fool our brain.

Smell, the key to taste

Who has not already salivated by smelling the scent of pastries and hot breads near a bakery or the enticing smells diffused by certain fast food chains which perfume the atmosphere with food aromas to exacerbate our cravings?

The reason is quite simply physiological: the perception of flavors finds its origin, not in the mouth, but thanks to the sense of smell through the intermediary of volatile molecules (the aromas) which stimulate our brain and open our appetite.

The mystery of retro-olfaction

It is enough to have a cold and to have a blocked nose to no longer perceive tastes.

Try the following experiment: chew 3 or 4 coriander grains with a blocked nose.

You will have no taste.

On the other hand, take a deep breath, and the volatile aromas will appear as if by magic!

This is explained by the aromatic molecules released by chewing and perceived by the brain with each exhalation.

This phenomenon is retro-olfaction: during exhalation, a flow of air "rises" and propels the air that was in contact with the food tasted behind the mouth, towards the olfactory bulb.

The color makes the taste

Take a look at the colors of the packaging of the food you buy, a game marketers can play with our brains.

The white symbolizes the purity of a dairy or a natural yogurt, the pink, the sweetness of a ham on an industrial packaging, the blue, more rare, indicates the salinity of a product (canned tuna), the bright colors such as red, orange or green are often found for candies or ice creams with citrus, mint or eucalyptus aromas while the chestnut palette often supports the packaging of delicacies (caramel, chocolate, coffee) .

Experience it: serve water tinted in different colors to your friends.

You will be surprised at the result.

Each glass of water will taste its color: green, mint, yellow, lemon, red, strawberry.

It is also reminiscent of the TV ad on "the taste of colors" which features the same plain yogurt tinged with purple, pink or orange.

Purple is recognized as blackberry, pink as raspberry and orange as apricot.

The proof of the domination of the brain on our perception of taste.

Intensity, is it light or dark?

Pay attention to your feelings: a light colored beer appears to be more thirst-quenching than a dark beer, a dark sauce as more powerful than a light sauce.

This is the case with ketchup, which will be perceived as all the more spicy the darker the bottle.

The brain is ready to guide your purchases!

The crunchy, addictive texture

Surprisingly: the more crisp a food, the better it is found.

When we eat crisps (which are also salty), it is not uncommon to devour the bag without noticing it.

Their crispness is transmitted to the inner ear and provides pleasure.

Noise is a flavor enhancer that interferes with taste.

So, if we eat these same soft crisps, their flavor is perceived as less intense even though they have kept the same taste.

This is one of the reasons that pushes manufacturers to seek the best level of crispness for their crisps.

In the same way, certain noises are inciting.

Remember the restaurants and the noise of the cutlery scraping the plates, the rustle of the packet of candy that is opened or the oven door that is ajar.

At table !

The more crisp a food, the better it is found.

Who hasn't wanted to bite into a baguette when they leave the bakery?

LP / Mehdi Gherdane

Light textures, caloric lure

Take the time to look at the texture of the chocolate mousse in the supermarket, from firm to very frothy.

When we eat this type of airy, frothy texture our brain equates them to lightness and the denser textures to calorie richness, which is far from obvious.

And the less dense the texture, the less satiated the brain!

Flavors under the influence

The flavors are not only conditioned by the quality of the product but also very often by an influence external to the product.

Of course, the senses intervene, first of all with sight and smell (pout of disgust or pleasure in front of a dish), but also appetite (never go shopping on an empty stomach, you want to buy everything!) , the memories (everyone has their own Madeleine de Proust), the atmosphere (the noise, the decoration…), the mood and even the price.

Have experts taste the same wine presented at different prices.

The result will be unanimous: the higher the price, the better the wine!

Quality, a visual lure

Manufacturers are using the power of photos to convey messages.

Study the egg cartons closely, plump chickens frolicking free are seen in them, a deceptive visual for the brain that looks no further.

Or these cheeses in plastic accompanied by beautiful visuals of mountains and herds, while cheese making is nothing traditional!

And the atmosphere in all of this?

The perception of a meal changes depending on the background sound broadcast.

Noises indeed affect our taste capacities.

Stressful noises would decrease them, even going so far as to reduce the alcohol taste of a drink.

The high tones would soften the flavors while the lows would enhance the bitterness.

From then on, everything is imaginable to provide a different taste experience.

A way of exploiting the links between the sound diffused and the intensity of the flavors.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2021-03-18

You may like

News/Politics 2024-03-02T04:36:09.980Z
Life/Entertain 2024-02-11T06:15:38.602Z
News/Politics 2024-03-02T18:14:50.034Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.