Can you change the way something tastes by listening to different sounds? Professor Charles Spence, Experimental Psychologist at the University of Oxford, thinks you can. And fifteen years ago, he set about proving it.
Spence altered what "crunch" sound participants heard when biting into a crisp, expecting they would report differences in the perceived freshness of the food.
However, participants also reported that the crisps tasted better or worse depending on the sound they were hearing at the time. Spence dubbed the experiment "The Sonic Crisp".
Joining Dave Fanning on The Ryan Tubridy Show to talk about this phenomenon and his latest findings in his book Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating, Spence’s research may cause listeners to rethink the way they eat.
The "sonic crisp" experiment led Professor Spence to research the idea that what we smell, hear and see can influence our perception of taste.
He lists smell as the greatest influence, citing the example of how we feel we lose our ability to taste food when we have a cold.
Spence claims that, in fact, our sense of taste is normal but we are struggling to smell our food when we have a cold: "75% to 95% of what we think we taste, we smell".
Professor Spence stresses the importance of the "eye appeal" of food, noting that 40% of UK diners regularly take pictures of their food.
This makes sight a huge factor in enjoyment and potential advertising. He sees a future "where food will become increasingly personalised" as we learn more about how individuals perceive taste.
You can listen to the full interview above.
