Relationship between the Influence of Others’ Opinions on Taste during Co-Eating and the Empathy of Individuals

Eating is important as a means of communication, in addition to maintaining life. It is well known that people’s taste experiences are improved when another individual is present, in comparison to eating alone. This promotion effect of eating with another person is called the “social facilitation of eating,” which refers not only to increase in the amount of food intake, but also to taste as well.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the opinions of people eating together affect the taste of the foods they eat. In addition, if the opinions of others influence taste for one of the people eating with them, are the others’ opinions related to the empathy of individuals? Finally, this study was also intended to consider whether the taste threshold changes depending on the opinions of others.

Twelve nonsmoking, young healthy women (aged 18.4 ± 0.8 years old; mean ± SD) participated in the present study. They had no food allergies. The participants tasted bread under three conditions: 1) quiet condition: a participant ate with three quiet persons, 2) positive condition: a participant ate with three persons who were talking favorably about taste, and 3) negative condition: a participant ate with three persons who were talking negatively about the taste. The electrical taste threshold was tested before and after tasting the bread, and a visual analog scale (VAS) was completed immediately after the tasting. Before the first trial, participants were asked to complete the Interpersonal Reactive Index (IRI).

In the positive condition, the taste score increased significantly compared with the negative condition. There was no significant relationship between taste and empathic concern. The findings showed that taste changed according to the comments of other people who were eating together, but it turned out that the change in taste due to the others’ remarks is not related to the individual’s empathy. In addition, the electric taste threshold did not change depending on the opinions of others.

In conclusion, the present study suggest that people find the food or meal to be delicious when other people with whom they are eating make “delicious” comments, and this trend is not changed by empathic concern.

Article by Hiromi Inaba, et al, from Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.

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