Just a whiff of fried food may entice you to order a high-calorie meal. But breathe it in for longer than two minutes, and you鈥檙e more likely to be content with fruit.
A new study published in the Journal of Marketing Research finds ambient food scent can directly satisfy the belly. That鈥檚 because the brain doesn鈥檛 necessarily differentiate the source of sensory pleasure.
鈥淎mbient scent can be a powerful tool to resist cravings for indulgent foods,鈥� said lead author Dipayan Biswas, PhD, marketing professor at the 麻豆蜜桃AV College of Business. 鈥淚n fact, subtle sensory stimuli like scents can be more effective in influencing children's and adults' food choices than restrictive policies."
Biswas discovered a direct connection between the length of exposure time and whether or not one will indulge. He conducted a series of tests using an inconspicuous nebulizer, that separately gave off the scent of healthy and unhealthy food items. (cookies vs. strawberries, pizza vs. apples)
He found participants exposed to the smell of cookies for less than 30 seconds were more likely to want a cookie. But those exposed for longer than two minutes, didn鈥檛 find that cookie desirable, and picked strawberries instead. He had the same results when the scent of pizza and apples were tested.
Since non-indulgent foods don鈥檛 give off much of an ambient scent, they鈥檙e typically not connected with reward, therefore have little influence on what we order.
Biswas鈥檚 previous research has shown light and the volume of music impacts food choice. However, this the first study to prove one sense can compensate another.