Bad moods 'make sugary foods taste less sweet' - study

Maybe ice cream when you are feeling down isn't the best option after all. Photo / 123RF

If a bad mood has you reaching for the biscuit tin, watch out - they might not taste as sweet as you're expecting.

Our emotions affect flavour and can dull the sweetness of sugary foods, according to a study.

The research also found sour foods taste even more sour when you're feeling down.

A reduced sensitivity to sweet foods when experiencing negative emotions could explain why many people are prone to eating high-sugar snacks for comfort, the researchers claimed.

"When in a bad mood, sweet and sour foods taste less pleasant," said Dr Robin Dando, of Cornell University in New York. "This suggests that we would go after foods which are higher in sweetness and lower in sourness."

He added: "Typically, things that are high in sweetness are highly calorific. When in a good mood, we would not necessarily have to go to these lengths to consume something pleasant and thus could stick to a healthier option."

For the study, published in the journal Appetite, the researchers studied 550 sports fans to see how they reacted to foods after their team had won, lost or drawn.

After each match, they were given foods and asked to rate them for sweetness and sourness, along with recording their mood.

The researchers said the brain chemical serotonin could play a part in the reaction.

- Daily Mail