The most gourmets – or foodies , as it is fashionable to call them now – often say that gastronomy is a pleasure to be enjoyed with all the senses. Ok, we agree that you have to look, smell, taste and taste, but … listen? What does the sound of our own chewing contribute to the culinary experience?
Well, it seems that, at least, it influences the amount of food we eat , according to a study carried out by researchers at Brigham Young and Colorado State universities in the United States.
We are talking about what these experts call the “crunch effect” : if you have the television on or are wearing headphones, you will put more food in your mouth than if you pay attention to the “soundtrack” of your swallowing . “For most of the time, both consumers and researchers have underestimated the importance of sound in the eating experience,” explained Gina Mohr, professor of marketing at Colorado State University and co-author of this revealing work.
After conducting three different trials, the North American experts found that even if the volunteers ate accompanied by chewing sounds from advertisements, the dose of food they ate was significantly reduced.
And it is not a trivial reduction: in one of the experiments, the group of diners exposed to a loud noise, reported 4 pretzels (those addictive bow-shaped buns that are all the rage in the United States) on average, while the volunteers put to the test in a quiet room, only two finished.
Researchers compare the “crunch effect” with mindfulness or mindfulness, a meditation technique that consists of fully concentrating on the present moment. So if you don’t want to overeat, put your five senses into it.
