Music, mind, and mouth : exploring the interaction between music and flavor perception

Abstract

This thesis presents a study of how hearing and taste can influence each other, how this interaction can be measured, and how the results can be used to design new, powerful, immersive experiences. The goal of the thesis is to address two questions: does music significantly change flavor perception, and can music change the hedonic experience of a meal? Experimentally, I looked at ways to measure changes in sensory perception. Artistically, I explored how external factors can alter the eating experience. From a cultural perspective, I examined the history of multisensory experiences - in feasts, in everyday cooking, and in community rituals. I conducted a series of experiments to measure the effect of music on flavor perception, and designed a series of novel eating experiences that make use of congruencies between multiple senses, culminating in a multisensory feast for the Media Lab. From these studies, design patterns and challenges are extracted and analyzed, and new directions are discussed.