餐前愛拍美食照? 食慾會更好!
Posting a photo of the food you’re about to eat on Instagram has become a daily ritual for many. Often this ‘food porn’ isn’t as appealing to those looking at it, but scientists are now claiming taking a photo of your food before you eat it makes it taste better.
在吃飯之前先拍照、上傳網絡共享的行爲幾乎成了許多人的日常準則。雖然看照片的人對拍下來的食物並不那麼感興趣，但有科學家稱在飯前拍照能讓照相者更好地享用食物。
Researchers at University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management claim taking a photo puts you in the moment and in doing so, heightens your senses. The person taking the photo will, on some level, feel the difference creating an incentive to continue the practice.
明尼蘇達大學卡爾森管理學院研究者表示，拍照行爲能將人帶入特定時刻，此時你的感覺靈敏度上升，在一定程度上會感到與平常不同的氛圍，從而有動力繼續這一飯前拍照的習慣。
Kathleen Vohs, the professor of Excellence in Marketing at the Carlson School, wondered about the power of rituals after noticing the funny routines that people often perform before eating and drinking.
在觀察到人們吃喝之前各種有趣的習慣後，凱爾森學院市場學優秀教授凱瑟琳·沃斯想知道習慣的力量究竟有多神奇。
Vohs and colleagues conducted experiments to investigate whether these kinds of ritualistic behaviour influences taste.
沃斯和同事爲探求固定習慣是否能影響食物口感而做了幾個實驗。
In the first experiment, some participants were asked to eat a piece of chocolate following a detailed set of instructions: ‘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.’
在第一個實驗中，一部分參與者要按照詳細的規定程序吃巧克力：“不要撕掉錫紙，直接把巧克力掰成兩半。然後再剝開第一半的錫紙 吃掉巧克力。接着再剝另一半，吃掉巧克力。”
The other participants were simply instructed to relax for a short amount of time and then eat the chocolate bar however they wanted.
其他參與者只是被告知要放鬆休息，一小段時間後，他們可以按照自己的方式吃巧克力。
The results showed that those who had performed the ritual rated the chocolate more highly, savoured it more, and were willing to pay more for the chocolate than the other group.
實驗結果表明，同一款巧克力，按照傳統程序食用的人比其他人的評價更高，也更能品出其中滋味，他們還願意花更高的價錢購買這種巧克力。
A second experiment reinforced these findings, showing that random movements don't produce a more enjoyable eating experience. The data also revealed that a longer delay between ritual and consumption bolstered these effects, even with a neutral food like carrots.
第二個實驗同樣證明了上述結果：隨意的行爲不能創造出更爲愉悅的用餐經歷。還有數據顯示，固定習慣行爲和攝入食物之間的時間間隔越長，感知到的味道就越好，哪怕就是像胡蘿蔔一樣普通的食物也是如此。
While these rituals may seem small or mundane, the researchers note that the effects they produce are quite tangible. And while rituals are common before mealtimes, they could play a role in other situations, too.
研究者認爲，雖然這些固定習慣看上去平凡而微不足道，但卻能產生巨大的實際效果。既然用餐之前的小習慣很普遍，那它們在其它情況下也可有用武之地。
