Immersive study in illustration narrative of vernacular culture: A practice-based research in northern Italy

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how sensory cue order, wine knowledge and visual–olfactory (V–O) congruence affect consumer’s taste perceptions of wine and their subsequent behavior.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment was performed to identify the effects of sensory cue congruence and sensory cue order on wine consumers’ perceptions of wine, affective evaluations, cognitive evaluations and purchase intentions.FindingsWine experts exhibited positive emotional responses to congruent sensory cues in the V–O order. Experts’ enjoyment of wine’s aroma, their emotional responses, their cognitive evaluations and their purchase intentions were lower in the incongruent condition. Consumers’ negative emotions elicited by the V–O sequence were also less intense than those triggered by the olfactory–visual (O–V) sequence. Wine experts demonstrated more positive emotional responses in the V–O sensory congruent condition.Research limitations/implicationsThis study highlights how visual and olfactory sensory cue order, wine knowledge and sensory cue congruence interact to clarify wine-related behavioral intention. Findings reveal the roles of these factors in shaping sensory perceptions, cognitive evaluations, affective evaluations and behavior related to wine consumption.Practical implicationsThis study holds implications for various stakeholders, including winemakers, wine businesses, restaurants and the broader hospitality industry. Wine businesses can enhance advertising effectiveness by tailoring their marketing efforts to customers’ knowledge levels and emphasizing the inherent attributes that align with individuals’ preferences. Winemakers can improve consumers’ sensory experiences by enhancing the natural color of wines. Restaurants can strive to ignite diners’ positive emotions and experiences by providing congruent information. Furthermore, sensory-driven strategies can be used in the hospitality sector to elevate customers’ positive emotions.Originality/valueThis study fills gaps in wine research by delineating how wine knowledge and related sensory cues can influence consumers’ sensory perceptions, cognitive evaluations, affective evaluations and behavior. These aspects have been largely overlooked in previous work.

A Taste of Singapore: Singapore Food Writing and Culinary Tourism

This paper aims to provide a critique of food cultures in the neoliberal era. I argue that neoliberalism has transformed the ways in which people consume food and the cultural meanings of food and eating. Food and eating have become sources of narcissistic pleasure that are usually accompanied by feelings of guilt and anxiety towards oneself and nature. Middle-class women in particular are engaged in this neoliberal food culture through the discourses of ‘healthy bodies’, ‘organic lifestyles’ as well as the ‘domestic pleasure of cooking’.

Music is capable of conveying emotional meaning and eliciting emotional responses. In musical performance, emotional expression is communicated through auditory cues such as articulation, timbre, vibrato, dynamics, and timing (Gabrielsson, 1999; Juslin & Timmers, 2010; Palmer, 1997), as well as by means of visual cues such as body posture, gestures, and facial expressions (Dahl & Friberg, 2007; Davidson, 1993, 1994; Thompson, Russo, & Quinto, 2008). Research conducted over the past two decades has unequivocally established that visual cues contribute significantly to observers' perceptions of the expressivity (Davidson, 1993, 1994; Vuoskoski, Thompson, Clarke, & Spence, 2014) and emotional expression (Dahl & Friberg, 2007; Krahe, Hahn, & Whitney, 2015; Thompson et al., 2008) of a musical performance, but less is known about the role of visual cues in the emotional responses that are elicited. Although some previous studies have attempted to investigate the effect of visual performance cues on observers' experienced emotions (Krahe et al., 2015; Vines, Krumhansl, Wanderley, Dalca, & Levitin, 2011), the challenges involved in distinguishing experienced emotion from perceived emotion using self-report (cf. Konecni, 2008) render the implications of the findings unclear.The psychological mechanisms of music-induced emotion have chiefly been considered from a unisensory, auditory perspective (Juslin & Vastfjall, 2008; Scherer & Zentner, 2001). Despite the fact that Juslin and Vastfjall actually proposed visual imagery as one of the potential mechanisms by which music can induce emotional responses in listeners, they discuss this mechanism in terms of nonmusical visual imagery that is conjured up by the music (such as images of nature, for example) rather than performance-related imagery. However, some theories of musicinduced emotion directly predict that the observation of a musical performance through multiple sensory modalities-auditory and visual-ought to lead to an enhanced, or more intense, emotional response (Livingstone & Thompson, 2009; Molnar-Szakacs & Overy, 2006). Molnar-Szakacs and Overy proposed that through the coupling of perception and action-a kind of simulation of the actions and affective cues present in musical performance-the mirror neuron system might account for some of the emotional responses that are elicited by music. Mirror neurons-first discovered in the macaque monkey-fire both when we perform a goal-directed action, and when we observe (see or hear) another agent performing the same action (di Pellegrino, Fadiga, Fogassi, Gallese, & Rizzolatti, 1992; Gallese, 2006; Kohler et al., 2002). In the context of musical performance, the mirror neuron system may respond to sound-producing actions as well as to the emotional expression conveyed by the performance (i.e., resonating with those auditory and gestural features in the music that resemble vocal and motor expressions of emotion; Overy & MolnarSzakacs, 2009). Although we are able to hear and mirror these actions and affective cues by means of auditory information alone (Kohler et al., 2002; Molnar-Szakacs & Overy, 2006), it has been hypothesized that the activation of multiple channels-auditory and visual-may result in a heightened emotional response due to the broader range of actions and cues available for mirroring (Livingstone & Thompson, 2009).This view, proposed by Livingstone and Thompson (2009), subsequently received empirical support: A recent meta-analysis revealed that-compared with audio-only presentations-audiovisual presentations consistently enhance observers' appreciation (defined as liking, perceived expressiveness, overall quality, and overall impression) of a musical performance (Platz & Kopiez, 2012). Moreover, Chapados and Levitin (2008) reported that observers' emotional reactivity to clarinet performances- measured using psychophysiological indices of emotional arousal- was heightened in the audiovisual presentation condition (as compared with the audio-only and video-only conditions). …

Engaging senses in the museum experience design enables emotional visitor responses and makes the experience more memorable. The aim of this study was to discover a potential relationship between visual and aural stimuli and emotions to provide guidelines for the design of sensory museum experiences. To do so, the study used self-report and psychophysiological measures (skin conductance rate, zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii activity). The results indicated sound and visual stimulus to be equally accurate in inducing specific emotions on the self-report measures, while psychophysiological measures showed sound to cause higher arousal than visual stimuli for the majority of the emotions, joy to be more strongly elicited by means of sound, while sadness by visual stimuli. Guidelines for the designers of sensory museum experiences are provided at the end of the article. Future studies should try to confirm these findings on a more representative sample, using neuroimaging techniques.

Travelling Noodles and Migrating Pieces of Raw Fish

Background and aimsWe characterized the extent and quality of respiratory sensations and sensory-related smoking cues associated with e-cigarette use among those who failed to quit combustible tobacco cigarette (CTC) use with traditional FDA approved medications but succeeded in doing so with e-cigarettes. Further, we sought to understand former smokers’ perceptions about the influence of sensory experience with e-cigarette use on CTC cessation outcomes.MethodsA nonrandom purposive sample of 156 participants recruited in the USA through the Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association Facebook page completed an online cross-sectional survey to assess sensory experiences and smoking cues associated with e-cigarette use. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and the ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc testing and the two-sample t test/Wilcoxon rank-sum test, as appropriate based on distribution, were used to assess the association between sample characteristics and sensory experiences and cues using investigator constructed questions, the Modified Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire (mCEQ) and the Smoking Cue Appeal Survey (SCAS).ResultsWith e-cigarette use, participants reported feeling the vapor in their throats, windpipes, noses, lungs, and on their tongues; reductions in nicotine craving; and enjoyment of their e-cigarette, including tasting, smelling, and seeing the vapor and touching the device. Women had greater craving reduction than men (p = 0.023). Those who began smoking at 13 years of age or younger had more satisfaction and had greater sensory enjoyment than those who began smoking at 16–17 years of age (p = 0.015 and p = 0.026, respectively), as well as greater sensory enjoyment than those who began smoking at 14–15 years of age (p = 0.047). There was a significant overall association between the number of years a respondent smoked and e-cigarette sensory enjoyment (p = 0.038). Participants 18–34 years old rated e-cigarettes as being more pleasant compared to 45 + years olds, (p = 0.012). Eighty-four percent of participants reported the sensation of the vapor as important in quitting CTCs, and 91% believed the sensations accompanying e-cigarette use contributed to their smoking cessation success.ConclusionsFor those who failed to quit previously using approved cessation medications to stop smoking cigarettes, sensory experiences associated with e-cigarette use may help smokers quit smoking.

Objective. Most research on food, ethnicity and health in Canada is focused on the dietary acculturation of first of second generation migrants. ‘Failure’ to adopt nutritional guidelines for healthy eating is generally understood as lack of education or persistence of cultural barriers. In this study we explore the meanings of food, health, and well-being embedded in the food practices of African Nova Scotians, a population with a 400-year history in Canada. Design Design. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 2 or 3 members of each of 13 families who identified as African Nova Scotian. Interviews asked about eating patterns; the influence of food preferences, health concerns, cost, and culture; perceptions of healthy eating and good eating; how food decisions were made; and changes over time. In addition, research assistants observed a ‘typical’ grocery shopping trip and one family meal. Results Results. Participants readily identified what they perceived to be distinctively ‘Black ways of eating.’ Beyond mainstream nutrition discourses about reduction of chronic disease risk, participants identified three ways of thinking about food, health, and well-being: physical well-being, emphasizing stamina, energy and strength; family and community well-being; and cultural or racial well-being, emphasizing cultural identity maintenance, but also resistance to racism. Conclusion Conclusion. While culturally traditional eating patterns are often understood as costly in terms of health, it is equally important to understand that adopting healthy eating has costs in terms of family, community, and cultural identity. Dietary change unavoidably entails cultural loss, thus resisting healthy eating guidelines may signify resistance to racism or cultural dominance. Several suggestions are offered regarding how community strengths and beliefs, as well as cultural meanings of food and health, might inform effective healthy eating interventions.

This research investigates five sensory cues (i.e. visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and taste) influencing sensory brand experience leading to brand loyalty through customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. It also investigates the role of employee empathy in moderating the effect of sensory brand experience on customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. Our investigation followed a mixed-method research design, a predominantly quantitative approach by using questionnaire responses from 512 Chinese consumers, which is supported by 10 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions to gain early insights into the subject area. The results suggest that five sensory cues have a significant impact on sensory brand experience and, in turn, contribute to customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. It also suggests that not all dimensions of customer satisfaction and brand attachment predict brand loyalty, and employee empathy negatively moderates the relationship between sensory brand experience and customer lovemarks.

Edible insects are recognized as a potential alternative and sustainable source of high-quality protein for the human diet. Entomophagy is highly related to negative emotions that may cause reluctance to adopt insects as food in Western countries. During human interaction, a person's facial emotional expression (FEE) may influence other people's emotional responses. A person's emotional state may affect his/her food preference and food choice. Understanding how other people's FEE would affect consumers' emotional profiles, liking, and subsequent willingness to try (WTT) and purchase intent (PI) toward insect-containing food products may help increase the acceptance of entomophagy. This study identified emotional responses toward chocolate chip cookies containing cricket protein using valence and arousal scales in order to explore the effects of other people's FEE (positive, negative, and/or sensation seeking) and to find the correlation between consumers' emotional and overall liking (OL) responses for cricket-containing chocolate chip cookies. Predicting PI for such cookies was also performed. For consumers who perceived positive emotion from other people's FEE after watching a short video clip, their emotional feeling was raised on both valence and arousal dimensions, while negative FEE stimulus imparted the opposite effects. The OL scores and emotional intensities after watching the three FEE videos were highly related to consumers' PI. Males compared to females rated the cricket-containing cookies higher on positive emotion intensity, OL, and PI. Among the three FEEs evaluated, the positive emotional stimulus would be beneficial in increasing acceptance, WTT, and PI of insect-containing foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Edible insects are potentially alternative and sustainable sources of high-quality protein for the human diet. Entomophagy is highly related to negative emotions that cause reluctance to adopt insects as food in Western countries. Other people's facial emotional expressions (FEEs) may affect consumer food-evoked emotional profiles, overall liking (OL), and purchase intent (PI). For consumers who perceived positive emotion from other people's FEE, their emotional feeling was raised on both valence and arousal dimensions, and OL scores and emotion intensities were highly related to consumers' PI. Exploiting positive emotional stimuli as demonstrated in this study would be beneficial in increasing acceptance of insect-containing food.

Sensory encounters are an essential component of the customer experience. However, most of the research conducted thus far has used self‐reported measuring techniques to address sensory experiences, which have limitations in holistically capturing the sensory encounters. Text analysis coupled with online reviews provides valuable customer experience information and at the same time, the data contains many suggestions regarding consumers’ sensory experiences. Consequently, online review data can be used to gain insights into how consumers’ sensory experiences—visual, olfactory, auditory, gustatory, and tactile—are represented in the dynamics of online reviews. Using a data set of 13,575 online reviews from Trustpilot and expanding upon the vocabulary of senses, we investigate how customers’ sensory experiences during grocery shopping relate to online review ratings. We discover that the interaction is more complex than one might think because the review star rating rises in the presence of visual and gustatory cues, while the effects of auditory, olfactory, and tactile cues are not demonstrated. We recommend marketers to monitor eWOM related to their own brand, as it can provide indications of what kind of sensory experiences customers have encountered.

Children’s well-being and health have received significant social attention. Given the increasing prevalence of food neophobia, obesity, and related health challenges in children, it is critical to understand the importance and urgency of raising children to choose healthy foods.This review explores the complex relationships among children's visual cues, emotion, liking and food choices, providing important insights into potential health interventions. A systematic search was conducted using three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies published up to December 25, 2023 (from the start of each database) were included. To ensure that the studies were of good quality, the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used for assessment. 17 eligible studies that used different research methods, six used a within-subject design, one used a discrete choice experiment, one used a pretest-post test design, four used mixed methods research, three used observational studies, and one used a longitudinal design. These studies examined topics ranging from visual perception to emotional response, with six studies examining all three aspects. This study investigated the complex effects of children's visual cues, emotions, and food choices, thereby providing important insights into potential health interventions. The shape of the food elicited a more positive emotional response than unvarying shapes. Several studies have also shown that children not only have preferences for the food itself but also consider factors such as the type, shape, and color of the food. Future research should draw new conclusions to guide relevant interventions aimed at promoting healthy food choices among children.

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to apply the theoretical frameworks of resource-based view (RBV) and Social Creativity to elucidate insights related to food cultures and creative tourism in the context of Brunei. This addresses an important gap in the literature to unpack how food cultures and creative tourism can become a vehicle for the diversification of a country’s reliance on oil and gas as primary industries.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach was taken in this research, utilising both primary and secondary data such as social media posts, media reports and semi-structured interviews to shed light on an emerging niche market in Brunei tourism.FindingsThe research revealed the entrepreneurial mindset of local food chefs and enthusiasts in showcasing Bruneian heritage and cultures, supported by government campaigns and technological advances. This lends further evidence that food cultures and creative tourism can be a lever for a national economic diversification strategy and can be validated elsewhere.Research limitations/implicationsThis is one of the first studies to investigate the intersection of the RBV and Social Creativity to advance the theory and practice of tourism in South East Asia.Practical implicationsThe intersection of food cultures and creative tourism within Brunei is dovetailed into the theoretical frameworks of the RBV and Wilson’s Social Creativity Framework. This is evidenced in a diversification strategy emerging from the case study of Brunei, where food is earmarked as a heritage resource and leverages individual, and in particular, young people’s creativity to generate a niche tourism market for the country.Social implicationsThe paper illuminates the role of technology as a vehicle for the discourses of creativity, reflexivity, education and economy to flourish. Through co-created content on social media, food heritage and creative tourism experiences are foregrounded and assisted by the entrepreneurs in reaching their desired audiences. Arguably, such tools helped the country alleviate the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and thrust domestic food tourism experiences into the spotlight, like other destinations.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to investigate the intersection of the RBV and Social Creativity to advance the theory and practice of tourism in South East Asia.

Effect of previous taste experiences on taste neophobia in young-adult and aged rats

Sensory processing and regulation have garnered particular focus by professionals when recommending interventions to help neurodivergent individuals. However, little research has been done into the extent that neurodiverse individuals (the general population) understand sensory management, specifically: sensory seeking; sensory avoiding; and the concept of sensory diets, despite the potential value of this to their wellbeing. This study used a mixed-methods approach to explore sensory awareness and preferences in adult respondents and to understand their sensory experiences, including sensory triggers and their management of these. The overall aim of this study was to understand whether and how a mobile application could be designed to build a user’s awareness of their own sensory needs through sensory self-assessment; and recommend a personalised sensory diet to support their sensory regulation.Twenty-seven people completed a survey asking about their understanding of sensory processing and management. Survey data highlighted a lack of participant awareness of vestibular, proprioceptive and interoceptive senses; and the use of sensory diets to help manage sensory processing and maintain an optimal sensory experience. Findings informed the design of a low-fidelity app for further evaluation. Qualitative interviews were then conducted with 14 people. The purpose of these were two-fold: to gain richer data on individuals’ sensory perceptions and experiences; and to evaluate the concept of the sensory awareness prototype. Data from the interviews were thematically analysed and affinity mapping was used to analyse the prototype concept testing, capturing participants’ views on the potential usefulness of the app. Analysis of interview data highlighted how participant experiences consisted of sensory preferences – innate or learned inclinations toward specific sensory stimuli – and sensory triggers; stimuli that cause a strong response within the individual. Behavioural responses to preferences and triggers were categorised as seeking, avoiding, or employing no structured strategy. Seeking and avoiding behaviours were classified as either a premeditated strategy to prevent stress or a coping mechanism to try and alleviate stress. The selection of these depended upon environmental opportunities or on the intensity/impact of a trigger. Participant descriptions included instances of a cycle of sensory response, leading to physical response, leading to emotional response and a consequential reduction in sensory tolerance which further impacted physical wellbeing. In cases where no proactive strategy was in place, individuals often relied on instinctive “fight or flight” reactions.A high-fidelity prototype app, “SenseHarmony”, was developed which incorporated sensory screening and mood-logging features and provided sensory diet recommendations. This was tested with a further five participants through task-based usability analysis and interviews. This evaluation suggested that digital tools can be of value as an educational resource and to help equip people with a better awareness of, and strategies for, managing their own sensory needs. Through this study, we have sought to highlight how individuals interact with and manage their day-to-day sensory experiences and the potential benefits of a mobile app to enable this. We suggest that a tool to help individuals predict and manage their sensory responses can promote a shift from coping mechanisms to strategies, and support wellbeing.