A recent study from Cornell University (USA) states that people perceive food as tastier if they pay more for it .
The work was based on an experiment with 139 people who were offered a free buffet of 4 or 8 dollars (but offering the same food, without their knowledge). They asked diners to rate what they had eaten on a nine-point scale. Finally, people who paid $ 8 for the buffet scored much higher (11% higher) than people who paid $ 4 for the same buffet.
“Pricing greatly affects how we are going to feel about what we are going to eat and how we are going to evaluate the restaurant,” says study author Ozge Sigirci.
Price had little impact on the amount of food both groups ate , but it did have an impact on how they interpreted the eating experience. According to the researchers, this is a small example of how such a tiny change can actually transform the way a person interacts with food.
