Note: This is part three of a three-part series on how the senses not directly linked to taste—sight, hearing, touch—affect perception of flavor. See parts one and two here.
In our last two posts, we looked at surprising research by Dr. Charles Spence of Oxford’s Crossmodal Research Lab that shows how sight and hearing affect perception of taste. In the final post in this series, let’s examine how the sense of touch affects taste.
Several studies by Dr. Spence and his colleagues have demonstrated that we use our sense of touch, specifically our perception of weight, to judge taste and value of food and drink. Here are three ways that weight changes perceived taste:
1. The feel of cutlery changes the perceived artistry, flavor, and value of a meal.
In a three-course lunch served at a hotel in Edinburgh, Spence and his colleagues tested the effects of presentation on flavor. The same meal was presented with cutlery made from the same material, but different size and shape: a lighter canteen-style cutlery set, and a heavier banquet-style set. When using the banquet-style cutlery, diners rated the main course as more artistic, more likeable, and more valuable.
“It could be argued that the diners’ feelings about the sensory properties of the cutlery were ‘transferred’ to the food—a phenomenon that often goes by the name of ‘sensation transference,’” notes Spence.
2. Heavier wine bottles seem more valuable.
In an analysis of 275 bottles of wine from five countries, the weight of the bottle was shown to affect the perceived value. The heavier the bottle, the more valuable the wine. Weight also correlated with other factors in a wine’s value, including vintage, color, and alcohol content.
Winemakers, stores, and waiters have already figured this out: Dr. Spence and his colleague on the study found that for every £1 increase in wine prices in a UK grocery store, the weight of the bottle increased by 8 g. Spence also notes that waiters will often point to the weight of a bottle of wine as an indication of its quality.
“Wine bottles are a particularly interesting area to study in this regard since the majority of them contain the same amount (and hence weight) of wine. It may, of course, turn out to be for this very reason, that the manipulation of the weight of the packaging is more salient in this sectors of the marketplace than elsewhere.”
3. Cutlery and dish weight change the perceived taste of yogurt.
Dr. Spence and his team performed two tests on weight and yogurt taste. In the first, the same yogurt was served from bowls that looked identical but had three different weights. Participants held the bowls and rated the yogurt for four characteristics: intensity, density, price, and likeability. The yogurt in heaviest bowl rated highest across all four.
But in a study on the weight of cutlery, the opposite was true. Identical-looking plastic spoons were artificially weighted, and this time the heavier spoon made yogurt taste less dense, less expensive, and sweeter.
Why the difference? Dr. Spence speculates that “the absolute weight (context free) does not seem to be the perceptual quality that is transferred from bowl, or cutlery, to food. Rather, it would appear to be the expected weight of the tableware, a relative attribute that depends on the cutlery’s appearance, the physical materials, the type of food being consumed, and potentially individual differences in tactile preferences … that might most appropriately explain the effects on taste.”
This research has important ramifications for packaging designers, grocery stores, and restaurants. Matching the weight of packaging and tableware to the consumers’ expectations can increase the value of the product without any changes to the product itself. Considering the influence of the sensation of touch on taste could be worth its weight in gold.
Tags: Consumer BehaviorDecision MakingEmotional ResponseEye TrackingGlobal RetailingGroceryProduct DesignRetailShopper ResearchTrends