The effect of music on eating behavior

Abstract

The effects of music tempo on number of bites per minute and total time of meal were studied. Eleven subjects unknowingly participated in the study. Three music conditions were used: fast tempo, slow tempo, and no music. A significant increase in the number of bites per minute was found; the effect was largest for fast-tempo music, which suggests arousal as a possible mediator. No difference was found in total time of meal. A questionnaire revealed no evidence that subjects were aware of the music.In the past, different types of music have been found to have different effects upon emotions, physiological reactions, and behavior. Smith and Morris (1976) reported that during a cognitive task , "stimulative" music maintained an elevated emotionality level, whereas "sedative" and control group means decreased. Stimulative music has been reported to increase pupil dilation, whereas sedative music has caused pupil constriction (Slaughter, 1957). Even purchasing behavior is affected by different types of music. Milliman (1982), studying purchasing behavior and speed of movement through a grocery store, found that the tempo of background music significantly affected both the pace of in-store traffic flow and sales volume. Traffic flow was found to be significantly slower with slow-tempo music than with fast-tempo music . The nomusic condition did not differ significantly from either . However, higher sales volumes were found with slowtempo music than with fast-tempo music. Randomly selected customers were asked outside the supermarket whether they recalled music playing while they were shopping. Interestingly, Milliman's subjects failed to reveal any significant variations in music awareness; that is, subjects were no more and no less likely to recall the music, regardless of the music condition.Milliman's (1982) research suggests the possibility that music tempo influences the speed of other behaviors , with fast-tempo music having an increasing effect and slowtempo having a decreasing effect relative to a no-music treatment as a baseline of behavior. A setting in which music is encountered but frequently is not attended to is that of a restaurant or cafeteria. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of music tempo on eating behavior in such a setting . The following hypotheses were tested:(1) Fast-tempo music would result in an increase in eating speed, whereas slow-tempo music would result in aThe authors are grateful to James D. Fitzpatrick for his cooperation during the course of the study. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Elizabeth B. Gardner, Department of Psychology, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT 06430-7524. decrease in eating speed, both relative to the no-music condition.(2) Subjects in either music condition would be no more likely to express an awareness of the music being played than would subjects in the no-music condition. In other words , the music would affect behavior without the subjects' being aware. METHOD SubjectsThere were 11 subjects (10 men, I woman), rangi...

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“…This finding is in line with a number of studies all of which have demonstrated that fast tempo music increases an individual's pace of an activity, whereas slower tempos reduce it (Milliman 1982, 1986, Roballey et al 1985, McElrea and Standing 1992, and Caldwell and Hibbert 1999. The finding may also be indicative of the notion that music with a quick tempo being arousing, and that noise may improve performance on a task.…”

“…Studies manipulating the tempo of music have found that faster music leads to more positive judgements of advertisements (Stout and Leckenby 1988), enhances effects on the performance of tasks (e.g. Tenenbaum et al 2004), leads to faster movement (Milliman 1982), faster dining (Caldwell and Hibbert 1999;McElrea and Standing 1992;Milliman 1986;Roballey et al 1985), and higher arousal levels (Kellaris and Kent 1993). Slow music has the opposite effects resulting in more relaxing, solemn adjectives being used when participants described it.…”

Assessing the Role of Sound in the Perception of Food and Drink

“…Many researchers have investigated whether the rate at which people consume food and drink, as well as the total amount consumed, can be influenced by the characteristics of the background music (e.g., Bach and Schaefer 1979;Drews et al 1992;Guéguen et al 2004;McCarron and Tierney 1989;Ragneskog et al 1996;Roballey et al 1985). For example, McCarron and Tierney conducted a study in an experimental environment in which they reported an increase in the consumption of soft drinks when background music was amplified (from no background music to music played at 70 or 90 dB).…”

“…Similarly, McElrea and Standing (1992) demonstrated that drinking time decreased significantly when people listened to fast tempo music (132 bpm) than when they listened to the same music played at a slower rate (54 bpm). Moreover, increasing the tempo of background music has been shown to lead to a significant increase in the rate at which people eat, when measured in terms of the number of bites of food per minute (Roballey et al 1985).…”

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“…But music can also act on the "crowd management", by influencing the time spent ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF SENSORY MARKETING ON CONSUMERS 281 inside by the customer. For example, according to two studies from Roballey et al (1985) and Milliman (1986), a fast-tempo music will push the customer to leave earlier. On the other hand, a slow music played at low volume will increase the time and the money spent inside.…”