The taste of yogurt
Using different measuring methods for people’s emotional responses, a team of researchers from the Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research in the Netherlands searched for the emotional effects – if any – that eating different yogurts had on people. Three groups of at least 24 participants were each given a pair of yogurts to taste. The pairs of yogurts were of the same brand and were marketed in the same way, but had different flavors or fat content. Afterwards, the team tested their emotions by using four methods, including a new emotive projection test.
A sensory effect
The team also looked at the sensory effect of the yogurts. There was no difference in the emotional responses to strawberry versus pineapple yogurts, but low-fat versions led to more positive emotional responses. Most strikingly, vanilla yogurt elicited a strong positive emotional response, supporting previous evidence that a subtle vanilla scent in places like hospital waiting rooms can reduce aggression and encourage relationships among patients and between patients and staff.
