How often do we eat standing up? Recent studies have shown that body position significantly affects the perception of taste. This can be very useful for those who want to lose weight, and for parents of picky children.
In the summer, we are surrounded by many temptations in the form of delicious food that can be intercepted while standing or on the go. But if we want to really enjoy the taste, it is better to sit down.
Recently, a study was conducted at the University of South Florida, the results of which prove that in a sitting position, we perceive food as more delicious. The head of the project, Dipayan Biswas, a professor of marketing and an expert in the field of cross-modal effects, observed the interaction of the vestibular system, responsible for body position in space, and the sensory system, responsible for the perception of taste and smell.
He found that standing upright for just a few minutes causes physical stress that “turns off” the taste buds. The force of gravity causes blood to rush to the lower extremities. To pump it back to the upper body, the heart works harder, the pulse quickens.
Thus, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) is activated, which leads to an increase in the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol. This chain reaction desensitizes the sensors that influence the perception of food and drink taste, food temperature, and consumption volume.
If a person experiences discomfort, food that would normally seem tasty is not perceived as such. Biswas confirmed his hypothesis with an experiment with 350 participants who rated the taste of pita. Those who ate while standing considered the dish less tasty than those who sat in armchairs.
The vertical position is perceived by the body as stressful, which leads to a more active work of the heart.
The researchers then offered the project participants classic brownies from a local restaurant that customers find delicious. The subjects who were seated rated the cakes much higher than the other group. But when the recipe was changed and the dough was deliberately salted, the results were the opposite. Unlike the seated participants, the standing participants did not even notice that the dough had become noticeably saltier, and continued to rate the brownies as just as delicious as before.
“Research has shown that parents of cranky children who regularly refuse healthy, but not very tasty food, may suggest that they stand rather than sit during the meal. Also, this feature can be used if you need to take medicines with an unpleasant taste, ”Biswas notes.
The scientist expanded the research by introducing an additional stress factor. He asked the participants to try fruit snacks while they carried their shopping bags. Thus, a typical situation was recreated when we intercept something at the food court and during shopping. Both those sitting and standing reported that the weight in their hands affected the taste of the food for the worse. Thus, the mechanism of the influence of physical stress and body position on the estimated perception of taste becomes clear.
In addition, the team tested the effect of posture on temperature perception. Participants were given a cup of hot coffee. Those who stood did not find it as hot as those who sat, they drank less, apparently due to physical stress, which suppresses appetite.
Eating while standing can be helpful if we want to lose weight in the long run. In addition, as already mentioned, the vertical position is perceived by the body as stressful, which leads to a more active work of the heart in pumping blood.
The results of the study are not only interesting – they can be applied in practice. By better understanding the mechanism of perception of food, we can, if necessary, correct eating behavior.