Research Shows That Taking Pictures Of Your Food Can Make It Taste Better

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Marketing found that we perceive the taste of food differently when we take a picture of it.

For the study, participants were asked to either eat their food straight away or take a picture of it first. Then, they were asked to give their food a score, evaluating its taste.

It was found that those who documented their food, reported higher taste scores and overall satisfaction with the food.

The researchers believe that it is because those who stop to take a photo pay more attention to the food's smell and aesthetics.

"It's the delay of looking at your camera, being pleased with the aesthetics of it, smelling the food, and kind of having those visual and sometimes even audible cues of taking the picture that lead consumers to savour the experience as they anticipate the pleasure that they're about to experience more," Sean Coary, co-author of the study said.

The researchers found that taking pictures of foods that are considered healthy, made no significant difference to how it tastes.

It was only the indulgent and unhealthy foods that foodstagrammers reported feeling a difference in taste in.

Since we're a lot more likely to be excited about something that feels 'pleasurable' to eat, the process of taking a good picture further strengthens that sensation, resulting in a better overall experience of eating.

It might be worth it.