Having a Drink with Tchaikovsky: The Crossmodal Influence of Background Music on the Taste of Beverages

Abstract

Previous research has shown that auditory cues can influence the flavor of food and drink. For instance, wine tastes better when preferred music is played. We have investigated whether a music background can modify judgments of the specific flavor pattern of a beverage, as opposed to mere preference. This was indeed the case. We explored the nature of this crosstalk between auditory and gustatory perception, and hypothesized that the ‘flavor’ of the background music carries over to the perceived flavor (i.e., descriptive and evaluative aspects) of beverages. First, we collected ratings of the subjective flavor of different music pieces. Then we used a between-subjects design to cross the music backgrounds with taste evaluations of several beverages. Participants tasted four different samples of beverages under two contrasting audio conditions and rated their taste experiences. The emotional flavor of the music had the hypothesized effects on the flavor of the beverages. We also hypothesized that such an effect would be stronger for music novices than for music experts, and weaker for aqueous solutions than for wines. However, neither music expertise nor liquid type produced additional effects. We discuss implications of this audio-gustatory interaction.

Extrinsic Auditory Contributions to Food Perception & Consumer Behaviour: an Interdisciplinary Review

“…Interesting questions here concern where such surprising correspondences come from 11 , and the conditions under which corresponding/congruent versus incongruent (or no music) influences the tasting experience (e.g., Hauck & Hecht, 2019;Höchenberger & Ohla, 2019;Spence & Deroy, 2013a;Watson & Gunter, 2017).…”

Wine psychology: basic & applied

“…However, the last decade or two has seen a veritable growth of interest in the matching of music and wine, and the crossmodal influence of the former on the latter (see , 2015c. Such sonic seasoning or oenosthesia research has run in parallel to an emerging body of laboratory research documenting first that people intuitively match basic tastes, such as sweet, sour, bitter, and salty with particular musical attributes, and thereafter that playing music (or soundscapes) with matching or mismatching sonic properties can influence people's ratings of the taste/flavour of a variety of foods (e.g., Bronner, Bruhn, Hirt, & Piper, 2012;Crisinel & Spence, 2010Hauck & Hecht, 2019;Höchenberger & Ohla, 2019;Knöferle et al, 2015;Kontukoski et al, 2015;Mesz, Sigman, & Trevisan, 2012;Mesz, Trevisan, & Sigman, 2011;Simner, Cuskley, & Kirby, 2010).…”

Cognitive Disposition to Wine Consumption: How the Brain Is Wired to Select the Perfect Bottle With a Novel Musical Twist

“…While cognitive regulation of decision-making is yet to be fully understood, it is widely accepted that multi-sensory environment has a significant impact on wine-drinking experience. The setting/scenery, hue of the ambient lighting, or background music, just to name a few, can effectively shape how people rate the taste of a drink (Pangborn et al, 1963; Morrot et al, 2001; Oberfeld et al, 2009; Spence and Deroy, 2013; Wang and Spence, 2017; Hauck and Hecht, 2019). In addition to such sensory modulations, consumer behavior is also influenced by informational cues.…”

“…There is further evidence that classical music – particularly the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – may enhance brain activity, cognition, and motor skills, and its beneficial effects have also been implicated in cardiovascular disorders, cancer pain, epilepsy, depression, and dementia (Rauscher et al, 1993; Pauwels et al, 2014; Verrusio et al, 2015; Demarin et al, 2016). Piling data implicate that what we hear can influence what we taste, and there is a remarkably strong relationship between music and wine (North, 2012; Hauck and Hecht, 2019). While auditory stimuli have been shown to modify the drinking experience, the effect of melody on the beverages themselves is essentially unknown.…”