Study reveals that eating standing up reduces the perception of food taste

Those who love to cook are always looking for the best way to make delicious and beautiful dishes. They attend special classes, watch tutorials and seek advice from their grandmother, all to achieve perfection. However, there are factors external to food that affect its taste that many are probably unaware of. One is eating posture, as revealed by a study that showed that sitting or standing at mealtimes can make a big difference in how food tastes.

At the awesome.club we want to talk to you about this study, which deals with the importance of posture when eating and how it influences people’s well-being.

To eat standing up or not, that is the question. A study by Dipayan Biswas, professor of marketing at the University of South Florida, USA, and published in Journal of Consumer Researchwith the participation of 350 people, revealed that the position when eating influences the way we perceive the taste of food, as well as how we enjoy it.

Biswas is a specialist in sensory perception and, through this study, analyzed the relationship between the vestibular system (responsible for the individual’s balance, posture and spatial orientation) and taste. His research got really interesting results because it presents another perspective on how people feel about food.

Whether due to haste or simple habit, many people decide to eat standing up, but this creates physical stress and, as a consequence, the taste buds stop working (that is, they stop noticing the flavors of food).

This is because the force of gravity pulls blood to the lower part of the body, forcing the heart to speed up its pace as it must work harder to get the blood to the upper part. In addition, there is a higher concentration of cortisol, the stress hormone. This chain reaction reduces sensory sensitivity and affects the perception of food taste and temperature.

This study also supports parents, as it confirms that they are right to ask their children to stay seated while they eat, so that children can more accurately know the taste of food, as the authors of this research showed.

They offered a sandwich to participants who were seated and to those who were standing. The latter gave a less favorable rating to the food. The researchers also found that sitting still affects the perception of the volume of food consumed. According to the study, you eat less when you’re standing, and more when you’re sitting.

The findings of that study were also beneficial for parents who struggle to get their children to take medication. Biswas suggests that the results of the study could be used to give syrups to children, as they will no longer perceive the unpleasant taste while standing.

The researchers also looked at how posture affects how people perceive the temperature of food. All participants received cups of hot coffee. Those who were standing did not feel as hot as those who remained seated during the test.

In addition, those who were standing ate and drank less than those who were seated, because stress decreases appetite. Perhaps this could be an alternative for those who want to reduce their daily caloric intake.

How do you usually eat? Standing or sitting? Do you notice any difference in the taste of the food, depending on your posture? Leave your opinion in the comments section.