Psychologists discovered that plates affect the taste of food
Especially to the most selective
And yet, as strange as it sounds, a group of psychologists from the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, discovered that the color of the plate on which the food is served can affect the taste perceived by a person.
The experiment
The team at the said University prepared an experiment with 47 volunteers, who were divided into two groups based on their answers to a questionnaire about their food preferences.
Although there is no established way to define someone as a “picky” eater, the scientists divided the volunteers into two such groups. The first had the most tolerant people, while the second had people who reported in the questionnaire that they dislike certain foods, that they want their food prepared in certain ways, and that they have difficulty trying new flavors.
After the split, they gave the two groups food in red, blue, or white bowls . Specifically, the scientists chose salt and vinegar flavored chips . So, the exact same chips were served in identical bowls, the only difference being the color. The volunteers were then asked to rank the crisps based on how tasty they found them, how salty they felt they were, and how strongly they perceived their overall taste.
Results
As the researchers found, color did not in any way affect the perception of taste for the group with non-picky people. However, the group with the strictest and most selective members reported significant changes in taste sensation depending on the color of the bowl used on each occasion!
In more detail, the color of the bowl did not seem to affect the intensity of the taste, but differences were detected in the other two categories, always for the group with the picky eaters. According to them, the chips from the red and blue bowls seemed saltier compared to those in the white bowls. At the same time, the chips in the red bowls were perceived as less desirable compared to those in the other two bowls.
At this point it is worth mentioning that the results agree with those of previous studies. Psychologists hypothesize that subconsciously consumers have associated certain colors with certain tastes. Thus, the food packages with which the participants were generally familiar may have influenced the results. What does this mean; Salty crisps are usually sold in blue packaging in the UK and maybe that’s why the crisps in the blue bowls seemed saltier!
According to psychologist Lorenzo Stafford, learning more about how the behavior of people who have difficulty accepting many foods is affected could significantly improve their quality of life.
If you want to encourage a picky eater to try more vegetables known to be bitter, you could try serving them on a plate or bowl with a color known to be associated with sweeter foods.
The research is entitled ‘How color influences taste perception in adult picky eaters’ and was published in the scientific journal Food Quality and Preference. You can find it by clicking here.
