Food & Music

The Correlation Between the Two

Lauren Bliss
 An experiment was conducted where subjects
were given two pieces of caramel and told to
evaluate the flavor while listening to different
tracks experimenting with pitch, timbre, and
An Experiment styles. The subjects were then instructed to then
evaluate the flavor. Was it more sweet, salty, or
bitter?
 Results
One soundtrack was designed to
complement the bitter taste present in the
caramel, while the other was designed to
match the sweet taste instead. The “bitter”
soundtrack contained a predominance of
low-pitched sounds, whereas the “sweet”
soundtrack was composed of sounds having
a higher pitch.
“The results of Experiment 5.1
highlighting the effect of the auditory
soundtrack (“bitter” vs. “sweet”) on
participants’ ratings on the bitter-
sweet scale, the back-front (of
mouth) scale, and the hedonic rating
scale. The asterisk highlights a
significant difference between the
conditions (p < .05). The error bars
represent the SEM.”
Crossmodal associations between chemosensory and
auditory stimuli
Tasty sounds: Crossmodal associations between chemosensory and
auditory stimuli Anne-Sylvie Crisinel Lincoln College, University of Oxford
Supervisor: Prof. Charles Spence
 Studies
Consistent with the results obtained for shops, playing classical music in a student
cafeteria (compared to easy-listening music or no music) increased the amount of
money that the consumers were prepared to spend (North & Hargreaves, 1998).
Classical music (as compared to pop music and no music) has also been shown to
increase the amount of money spent in a restaurant (North, Shilcock, & Hargreaves,
2003).
Playing ocean sounds and music increases profit at seaside markets. A particular store
found that their sales doubled when playing wave sounds.
Why?
“The amygdala is the region of the brain involved in the processing and memory of
emotions, especially fear, in higher vertebrates. With regard to food, the amygdala is
responsible for detecting the flavor intensity of a particular food and inducing the desire to
eat more. The orbitofrontal cortex is an outer region of the brain located just above the
eyes responsible for the cognitive process of decision-making. The orbitofrontal cortex
detects how “pleasant” a food is – a sensation distinct from desire, according to Yale
graduate student Kristi Rudenga. The caudate nucleus is an important part of learning and
memory.”

- http://www.yalescientific.org/2011/04/the-experience-of-eating/

-https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/revealed-the-part-of-our-brains-
that-makes-us-like-new-music-20133006/
 Restaurants Music Effects
Fine Dining: Slow, soft piano, jazz, or
Daytime: fun light tunes classical

Happy Hour: Lively instrumental tunes or Bar and Grill: Loud, upbeat
new indie tunes

Dinner: Jazz or classic rock Fast Food: Pop

Late Night: Louder, more upbeat Cafe: Live music, classical, jazz,
singer/songwriter styles
Lounge: Relaxed vibe
Diners: Oldies, Pop

http://blog.rockbot.com/blog/restaurant-background-music
How To Make Your Food More Enjoyable

1. Decide on what to eat

2. Choose a song best tailored to the situation

(i.e. if you are on a date, pick music to help influence the amount of time to
stay. If you are hosting a Christmas party, it would be wise to play Christmas music.

3. Put them together and enjoy

 References
“A crossmodal role for audition in taste perception.” Pubmed.gov, Pubmed.gov, 16 Mar. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25775175.

Crisinel, Anne-Sylvie, and Charles Spence. “A Sweet Sound? Food Names Reveal Implicit Associations between Taste and Pitch.”
Journals.sagepub.com, Sage Journals, 1 Jan. 2010, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p6574?id=p6574&.

Crisinel, Anne-Sylvie. “Tasty sounds: Crossmodal associations between chemosensory and auditory stimuli.”

Friend, Megan. “Restaurant Background Music Tips - How To Set The Mood For Customers.” Blog.rockbot.com, Blog.rockbot, Oct. 2013,
blog.rockbot.com/blog/restaurant-background-music.

Stromberg, Joseph. “Revealed: The Part of Our Brains That Makes Us Like New Music.” Www.Smithsonianmag.com, Smithsonianmag, 11 Apr.
2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/revealed-the-part-of-our-brains-that-makes-us-like-new-music-20133006/.

Tu, Chau. “Does Sound Affect the Way We Taste?” Www.sciencefriday.com, Sciencefriday, 17 Aug. 2015, www.sciencefriday.com/articles/does-
sound-affect-the-way-we-taste/.

Williamson, Victoria. “Can Music Influence the Taste of Food?” Musicpsychology.co.uk, Music Psychology, 4 Mar. 2011,
musicpsychology.co.uk/can-music-influence-the-taste-of-food/.

Wohl, Shirlee. “The Experience of Eating.” Yalescientific.org, Yale, 3 Apr. 2011, www.yalescientific.org/2011/04/the-experience-of-eating/.