What Is The Influence Of Music When Eating?
Music influences our emotional state, and emotions influence many of our behaviors. One of them is the ingestion of food. But what is the influence of music when eating? Does it really have a certain effect?
Do you think we eat more with relaxing or uplifting music? Can music influence our food choices? What does science say about this? We will explain everything to you!
What is the influence of music when eating?
Some studies point to the influence that music can exert on the behavior of people when eating in restaurants (or at home). It affects how fast we eat, how much time we spend on each dish, or the overall experience.
We have more appetite when we relax
In relation to this point, researchers at the University of Arkansas have studied how music influences when we eat out. For this study, they took four styles of music: jazz, classical, rock and hip-hop, in addition to foods considered “emotional” (chocolate) and “non-emotional” (peppers).
What results have they obtained? Customers had more appetite when listening to jazz music while eating, and less with hip-hop. Researchers considered this to be related to emotions: when we listen to music with harmonious rhythms (like jazz), our joy increases, which increases our appetite.
Or does relaxation take our appetite away?
However, another study defends the opposite idea. Produced by researchers at Aarhus University (Denmark) and published in the journal Appetite , it claims that relaxing music could make us eat less. According to this study, listening to slower and smoother melodies would cause us to eat less.
We eat more when we’re energized
However, it is not just the increased appetite that causes people to eat more: there is also the impulsiveness or “rush” to eat.
This is what another study published in Psychological Reports claims . This study showed how interesting it could be for a restaurant, when it comes to encouraging consumption, to choose the right music.
According to the researchers, an environment that is more loaded with stimuli predisposes us to eat more. Why ? Because we “encourage” people to eat more quickly.
On the other hand, if the atmosphere generated by the music is relaxing, customers will feel more relaxed and, therefore, will take more time to enjoy their meal. These people will therefore eat less.
The influence of music on the choice of food
How music influences when eating might also depend on the volume of the music, according to another study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences . More concretely, the study suggests that music at a lower volume makes us eat better because we choose foods better.
In addition, the study claims that loud music increases stimulation and stress. This leads us to choose unhealthy and comforting foods.
Is it useful in the restaurant industry?
The way music influences us when we eat helps us realize that emotions are indeed influenced by music. And that they can have an influence on the way we eat.
It would therefore be wise for restaurants to take all this into account in order to optimize their services and products. This is what is suggested by Isidro Sánchez-Crespo, CEO of The Sensory Lab, a sensorial marketing and audiovisual solutions installation company linked to everything we have just commented on.
The latter states the following: ” many catering establishments have already taken action, equipping themselves with the technology necessary to offer memorable experiences through music and thus significantly strengthening their relationship with the customer” .
In short, it is obvious that music has an influence on the way we eat. As studies show, it can cause us to eat more or less, faster or slower, healthier or not, etc.
Even if some studies contradict each other, as in all themes, the fact is that music conditions our emotions, our behavior and our mood. Emotions very often guide our behavior, including the ingestion of food.
Our thoughts Eating is a sensory experience. This is why neurogastronomy was born. Learn more about this area of study!
