Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Are you an avid instagramer? Are you in the habit of posting images of whatever you're eating on the image-sharing app? If your answer is yes, then this habit of yours might be making your food tastier!
According to a new study, sharing photographs of your meal on Instagram or sifting through images of food enhances the satisfaction derived from eating it.
Cuisines are evolving and so are people's taste buds. Most people are fast acquiring a taste for foreign cuisines and it is deemed normal these days to share whatever fancy meal one is about to gorge on, on Instagram.
Intrigued by this new social norm and its impact, Sean Coary, assistant professor at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, teamed up with Morgan Poor, assistant professor at the University of San Diego, to research the impact of consumer-generated images of food on satisfaction.
The research included three studies with over 120 participants in each study.
Results suggest that taking a picture before consumption leads to more favourable evaluations of the food - but only when the dish is indulgent in nature.
However, the positive effects of photographing food can be activated when consumers are aware of the healthy eating habits of others, researchers said.
"Diners want to remember the visual aesthetic of their food, especially when it's something indulgent," said Ms Coary.
On the other hand, "when eating healthy, there's a desire to signal to others that we are part of the 'fit' club." In either scenario, it's a way to participate in a widely accepted communal practice, Ms Coary said.
The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Marketing.
(With agency inputs)
