A study by Oxford University's Crossmodal Research Laboratory professor Charles Spence may have cracked a useful aid to both dieting and food enhancement. Findings indicate that background music to any meal plays a role in the experience, meaning music may actually either enhance or take away from the taste of food.
Put into practical use, when the possibility of overeating - such as during events, special occasions or emotionally rooted binges, will playing a background music that diminishes the enjoyment of food help control the appetite? Or if one has guests to impress, will playing the right song make a meal taste vastly better?
Professor Spence explains that Italian cuisine is best served with classical and opera music. Rock music, pegging The Who and Arctic Monkeys, is best for spicy flavours as found in Indian cuisine.
"Nobody has looked at spiciness and music before... We found that if there is music that is more alerting, more arousing, then people appreciate spicier food more."
The study used data from 700 respondents who were asked to rate their enjoyment while eating different types of takeaways when backdropped by six different music genres.
Further results showed that jazz is perfectly paired up with Japanese and Thai food, Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone create better appetites for eastern type dishes and Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are perfect for Chinese meals.
Interestingly, hiphop and dance music are neither appetite enhancers nor killers, while Justin Bieber's 'Baby' was found to make food taste a little less palatable.
Professor Spence also found that light music can make chocolate taste sweet while sad or serious music can make the same chocolate taste bitter.
According to Professor Spence, "Most of us believe that we experience food primarily through sense of taste, smell, and vision, but a growing body of research now shows that the music playing in the background can also have an influence."
"It is an exciting area: how soundscapes and music come together with taste to make the whole experience more stimulating, more enjoyable, and possibly even more memorable ... It's a kind of digital seasoning.
"In summary, don't play Justin Bieber when you order a takeaway."
See Also:
- Musical Taste Linked to Personality Traits Which are Found Predictive of Musical Talent
- How the Food and Mind Connection Holds the Secret to Successful Weight Loss
