A bittersweet symphony: Evidence for taste-sound correspondences without effects on taste quality-specific perception.

Abstract

Music has been associated with taste and shown to influence the dining experience. We asked whether sound that is associated with taste affects taste perception of food. In two studies (study 1: N = 20, 13 women; study 2: N = 20, 17 women), participants evaluated the taste of cinder toffee while listening to either of two soundscapes associated with sweet and bitter taste, respectively, or no sound. In study 1, participants rated the taste on a visual-analog scale (VAS) anchored with "bitter" and "sweet", aiming to replicate a previous study (Crisinel et al., ). In contrast, four separate scales were used in study 2 to report the extent of bitter, sweet, sour, and salty taste to test whether taste qualities were influenced by sound differentially. Additionally, taste intensity and pleasantness were rated in both studies. Taste intensity was increased in the presence of a sound, while pleasantness was not affected. In study 1, sound shifted bitter-sweet ratings in the direction of the congruent sound, i.e. samples tasted sweeter with "sweet" sound and more bitter with "bitter" sound, replicating Crisinel et al.'s () results. However, this effect was abolished when a "no-sound" control was included in the statistical model. Taste ratings in study 2 showed no effect of sound on any specific taste quality, suggesting that the influence of sound on taste in study 1 reflects an artifact of the scale rather than an actual shift in perception. Together, the data provide evidence for taste-sound correspondences without effects on taste-quality specific perception.