Effect of background noise on food perception

What the study found

Under loud white noise, participants rated foods less sweet and less salty than under quiet noise, but rated crunchiness as more intense. Liking of the background noise was related to liking of the food.

Limitations

White noise in a laboratory, not restaurant sound; blind tasting; sample not extracted.

Neurodesign interpretation

A primary study behind claims that a room's sound changes taste. Its stimulus is far from a real dining room.

Possible design implications

Hypothesis: loud dining rooms may dull perceived sweetness and saltiness.

Study design

Two experiments with no sound, quiet and loud white noise while eating

Population

Adult participants. Sample: not extracted.

Setting

Laboratory

Field

Acoustics + soundscape, Multisensory perception

Mechanism

Multisensory congruence

Spatial variable

Background noise level

Keywords

background noise, taste, food perception, crossmodal, restaurant

Notes and follow-up

Related records: ND-0084, ND-0144.