Food Pr0n of the Day: Can Foodstagrams Make Food Taste Better?

Maybe you shouldn't feel so guilty about snapping Foodstagrams after all. According to a new study conducted by University of Minnesota researchers, test subjects who were told to partake in some type of ritual right before eating found certain foods like chocolate, lemonade and carrots more flavorful and enjoyable.

In one experiment, researchers recruited 52 researchers and told them to eat a chocolate bar; about half were given instructions on a ritual to follow before eating it. They were told, "Without unwrapping the chocolate bar, break it in half. Unwrap half of the bar and eat it. Then, unwrap the other half and eat it." The others were just told to relax for a bit, and then eat the candy like a regular person. As it turned out, the people who had done the weird little song-and-dance routine before eating the chocolate ended up saying that they enjoyed it more than those who ate the chocolate normally. They also took longer to eat it and said they would pay more for the chocolate. And this doesn't just apply to candy: similar experiments in the study were done using lemonade and even carrots.

Hat tip goes to Jezebel!