Multisensory perception: How sight, sound and touch shape what we taste, with Charles Spence, PhD
6/17/202641 min
Why does seafood taste better at the beach? Why are so many snacks crunchy? Can the color of a room or the music in the background change the way we experience what we eat and drink? Charles Spence, PhD, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford, discusses the science of multisensory perception and how our senses work together to shape flavor; why food is the ultimate multisensory experience; and how insights from this research can help people eat more mindfully and enjoy eating more fully. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
And we're live from the living room as Doug eyes up the match day spread. He's reaching for the buffalo wing. Perfect. Hang on. What's this? Oh, he's going for a can of Pepsi too! Incredible. What a finish. Sensational combination. Look at the delight on his face. There's no doubt about it, it just tastes better. Match days deserve Pepsi. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a pack of Pepsi Zero Sugar for today's match. It's poetry in motion.
Kim Mills· Host0:29
[upbeat music] Think about the sweetness of a strawberry or the satisfying crunch of a potato chip. What makes these things taste so good? You might think it's just sugar, salt, and fat, but research suggests that it's more than that. The color of the strawberry, the sound of the potato chip crunch, even the place where you're eating can all contribute to how you experience each bite. Psychologists have long studied the senses individually, but in the real world sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch are constantly interacting. Today we're going to talk to a psychologist who studies multisensory perception about how our senses work together to shape how we perceive and taste the world. So how does the brain combine information from different senses to create our global perceptions? What are some of the most surprising ways that our senses interact? And how can you use this knowledge to eat healthier, enjoy more food, and otherwise improve your life?