However, until now it was not known exactly what is activated in our most important organ when we put a food in our mouth and we begin to chew it. Does it react the same to traditional flavors as to new ones? Is your response the same in women as in men? A team of curious researchers has carried out the first Neuroscience study carried out in Spain on food and emotions, promoted by Canal Cocina.
To be able to do this, the scientists relied on a representative sample of 40 people between 18 and 80 years of age. The experiment was divided into two stages. In the first, the preferred foods of the Spanish were selected through a market study. As already suspected, ham, omelette, traditional stews and chocolate were the foods of choice . A fifth record was added to this result, salmon tartare, with the aim of contrasting the brain’s reaction to new flavors. In a second stage, we proceeded to analyze the response of our brain , both during the mere visualization of food, and at the time of ingestion of the same.
Regarding the technology used, an EEG device was needed, which, like a cap placed on the head, records neuronal activity through nine channels or sensors that collect brain activity at all times. In addition, a biosensor in the fingers of the hand allowed to collect the different in the dermis and the heart rate of the subject during the study.
Does the brain of women react the same as that of men?
To the surprise of the researchers, this experiment has shown that, in just three seconds after tasting the food, the brain reaches the maximum values of emotional activation, in addition, each food presents different values of that activation, hence the preference of facing each other. On the other hand, the study reveals important differences between men and women during the phases of visual stimulation and food intake. Thus, when women see food, their brain is activated immediately , while their brain is more “demanding” and does not respond as easily, so men need to go a step further and try it .
But that’s not all. The researchers also found that both genres also react differently to new flavors . “The men’s brains experienced a more intense activation with chocolate and tartar (the lesser known flavors) than when the subjects tried ham, stew and potato omelette (traditional flavors). In the case of women, the exact opposite happened ”, explains one of the study authors, Joaquín Ibáñez, doctor of Medicine and director of the Department of Physiology at the Miguel Hernández University.
Finally, Carlos Cañizares, Industrial Design engineer and coordinator of the research, has clarified that much remains to be investigated in this regard: carry out studies with other foods, establish statistics, look for the reasons that lead the brain to experience that response and not another. , etc. What he is clear about is that experiences have a significant influence on the reaction that takes place in the brain when tasting food . “If you taste the stew that you have eaten throughout your life as a family, your brain is going to get doubly excited,” he concludes.
