A study carried out by researchers from the University of Granada and the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina proves that certain foods – coffee, chocolate, beer, fruit juices – can taste better or worse, more bitter, salty, sweet or sour, depending on the mood . For example, if we feel stressed or worried about our weight, the feeling may be disappointing.
The research, published in the journal Food Quality and Preference , involved 59 adults without any health problems, who were divided into two groups: those who habitually consumed bitter products and those who did not. They all tasted various batches of bitter products under different motivational states that the researchers had induced through images. During the test, in addition, affective indices derived from the analysis of facial expressions and indicators of the desire to consume from approximation / avoidance responses were used.
Well, in the face of the stability that is assumed to the acquired food preferences, the affective responses and the food reward value seem to vary depending on the mood. The study reveals that stress, for example, reduces aversion to the bitter taste of coffee , while chocolate produces a greater rejection when concern about body weight increases.
The research has been directed by David García-Burgos, from the Neuroplasticity and Learning research group of the UGR and currently a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Friburgo (Switzerland), and Clara Zamora, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. According to David García-Burgos, “these findings reveal for the first time not only the involvement of the affective-gustatory components in overcoming the innate rejection of bitter taste, but also how our psychological states affect the taste of the food we eat.” The results “are especially important to the extent that the preferences and consumption of bitter foods, such as some vegetables and fruits , are promoted to face the obesity epidemic and promote healthy diets,” concludes García-Burgos.
