If you’re trying to stick to your New Year’s diet, a new study advises turning your music down.
Researchers at the University of South Florida found that playing music quietly or not at all in a supermarket or restaurant increases sales of healthy food because it induces a state of relaxation.
Louder music, on the other hand, increases purchases of greasy, unhealthy foods by 20 percent.
Playing music at higher volumes increases our excitement, stress, and arousal, according to research published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences.
As you try to stick to your New Year’s diet and reach for healthier snacks, you might want to try turning your music down. A University of South Florida study found that quiet or no music in supermarkets or restaurants increased sales of healthy foods
Professor Spence’s top tips for eating healthy this New Year
Charles Spence, Oxford professor of experimental psychology, shared his top three tips for healthy eating in January.
Oxford professor of experimental psychology Charles Spence (pictured) shared his top three tips for healthy eating in January
The study conducted research at a café in Stockholm and divided snack foods into healthy, neutral and unhealthy categories.
The researchers then played music at a higher or lower volume.
It found that when music was played at 70 decibels (db), 52 percent of items purchased were unhealthy compared to 25 percent of healthy items purchased.
However, when the music was played at 55 dB, the amount of healthy items purchased rose to 32 percent, while purchases of unhealthy items fell to 42 percent.
In this new year, 43 per cent of Brits who have made New Year’s resolutions their own said they wanted to eat healthier.
Earlier in January, Oxford professor of experimental psychology Charles Spence advised people to turn down the volume on their speakers or headphones if they want to achieve their goal of eating healthily.
He explained: “We often blame our own willpower when it comes to dropping New Year’s resolutions earlier than hoped, but science shows there’s a lot more at play.
“The results indicate that music may be the reason you have a hard time making healthy snack choices.”
If we play our favorite music from our favorite playlist at high volume, we will most likely snack.
Professor Spence added: “Loud music increases excitement, which research has shown leads to unhealthy eating habits.
“The key to reaching for a Pink Lady apple instead of picking and shuffling is to listen to your favorite songs at a low volume, as research has shown that we are more likely to choose healthy foods due to the relaxation induced.
“Research has shown that quiet music is better for a healthy diet than no music at all, so don’t drop the playlist altogether.”
In 2017, a coffee shop in Beijing put the theory to the test by playing sweet, mellow music to reduce the sugar content in its drinks while maintaining sweetness.
Similarly, another study examining how we can improve smell and taste found that playing sounds of an apple orchard can improve the taste, smell and feel of an apple.
A YouGov poll conducted in the final weeks of 2022 found that of Britons who make resolutions, 43 percent overall want to improve their diet
Loud music means you’re more likely to order a cheeseburger
If you order a greasy cheeseburger at a restaurant instead of a low-calorie salad, the music could be to blame.
A 2018 study found that music not only sets the mood of an evening, but can also influence your ordering.
Researchers found that when the music is loud, customers tend to order unhealthy foods like burgers.
However, if the same title is playing more quietly in the background, they are more likely to opt for a healthier alternative.
The tempo of music has long been associated with levels of arousal – a faster beat gets your heart rate up, while a slower rhythm induces relaxation.
A YouGov poll conducted in the final weeks of 2022 found that 21 per cent of Brits are planning to make a New Year’s resolution, with improved fitness and healthy eating being the most popular goals.
A total of 53 percent of men and women across the country wanted to improve their exercise routine, while another 43 percent wanted to improve their diet.
After healthy eating and improved fitness, more than a third of people wanted to save more money in 2023 as the cost-of-living crisis hits.
Lynn Shaw of Pink Lady, who commissioned the study, said: “With healthy eating and fitness topping the top of Britons’ most-made resolutions on January 1st, many of us will be looking for ways to make it happen along the way easier to do.
“So we’ve teamed up with Charles to help decode the science of gastrophysics and bring Brits a list of weird and wonderful science-backed hacks to help them keep their resolutions this year .”
This isn’t the first time music eating habits have been linked.
A similar 2021 study found that the music you listen to while you eat can also affect the type of food you eat.
Researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark divided volunteers into two groups, one of which listened to a fast, less harmonic composition in the minor key that is known to evoke emotions such as sadness or tension.
Sad music was played to the other group.
In 2013, a study conducted by the University of Birmingham found that eating in front of the TV causes us to eat more at that meal and during our next meal
The report, published in Appetit magazine, found that those who listened to slow music were more likely to choose healthier foods.
This is attributed to the fact that people become more distracted and even affected by negative emotions when they listen to fast, unpredictable music, and therefore pay less attention to what they eat.
Similarly, a 2013 study conducted by the University of Birmingham found that eating in front of a TV causes us to eat more at that meal and during our next meal.
This is because we are distracted by sounds and visual stimuli — meaning when we remember our last meal, we don’t remember it as well or how much we ate.
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MUSIC CAN IMPROVE YOUR MOOD
Listening to melancholic music can improve a person’s emotional well-being in times of loneliness and hardship.
Songs that are particularly sad can evoke a mix of complex and “partially positive” emotions, including nostalgia, peacefulness, tenderness, transcendence, and wonder.
Upbeat music that you don’t consciously listen to doesn’t usually affect how you feel.
But actively seeking happiness through music can sometimes improve your health and relationship satisfaction.
Research has also found that listening to up-tempo, energetic music can increase the perceived spiciness of food by up to 10 percent.