You are patiently waiting for your meal to come, the aromas filling the air making you that much hungrier. And then when your food finally arrives, instead of digging in right away, you pause and make sure to take a photo for your Instagram account. After all, the plate is about to be cleaned within five minutes and you will never be able to recreate how delicious it looked.
It can be really annoying when all your friends pull out their phones to snap food pics for their Instagram, but science says there's a good reason why we should: it makes our food taste better.
According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Marketing, researchers found that photographing food first before devouring the meal can actually improve its taste.
And before you think this is just silly science, the reason why this is the case actually makes sense — but let us say that it has more to do with delayed consumption then it has to do with actually using Instagram. Taking a "momentary active delay in consumption" allows a person to be able to appreciate and savor their food more than if they just started gobbling it all up.
Researchers at the University of San Diego and St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia found that pausing before eating — in this case, taking a photo for social media — "increase the savoring associated with consumption of pleasurable (i.e., indulgent) foods and, in effect, increases attitudes and taste evaluations of the experience when consumption actually takes place."
However, the researchers found that this only works when people are consuming indulgent foods and not healthy eats. For example, the researchers asked study participants to photograph a caramel apple before eating it, and found they reported more pleasure than those who did not first take a photo.
The researchers also found if the person thinks eating healthy is a good thing, they, too, will enjoy eating a healthy meal when they take a photo first. If they don't, though, the taste will not change whether they Instagram it first or not.
In that case, it might be a good idea to start following healthy Instagram accounts to trick your eyes that the kale smoothie or fresh fruit display looks as delicious as mac-n-cheese. Either way, feel free to keep your Instagram flooded with #foodporn - your taste buds will thank you.
Source: Thrive Market
Photo: John Lustig | Flickr
