The Neural Correlates of Food Preference among Music Kinds

Abstract

The calorie and taste choices of food have been shown to be related to the external environment, including music. Previous studies have mostly focused on manipulating basic auditory parameters, with few scholars exploring the impact of complex musical parameters on food selection. This study explored the effects of different kinds of music (classical, rock, jazz, and hip-hop) on food liking based on the calories (high and low) and taste (sweet and salty) using event-related potentials (ERPs). Twenty-four participants (8 males, 16 females) were recruited from Southwest University, China to participate in the food liking task using a Likert seven-point rating and simultaneously recording EEG signals (N2, P2, N3, and LPC). This study used repeated-measures analyses of covariances and found that the score of the high-calorie foods was greater than that of the low-calorie foods. Additionally, results revealed that the score in classical music was greatest for sweet foods, while there was no difference among music kinds in the salty foods. The ERP results showed that P2 amplitudes were greater for sweet foods than those for the salty foods. N2 amplitudes for the salty foods were greater than those for the sweet foods during rock music; in addition, N2 amplitudes during hip-hop music were greatest for sweet foods. However, N2 amplitudes during rock music were the greatest for salty foods. The results also revealed that N2 amplitudes during hip-hop music were greater than those during jazz music. This study provides unique operational insights for businesses.

Individuals’ food preferences can be influenced by the Music styles: An ERP study

“…Event-related potential (ERP) studies have revealed that both early (N1 and N2) and late (P3) components are sensitive to the processing of food cues (Jing et al, 2024a). Early ERPs, such as occipital N1 occurring at 150-200 ms, have shown sensitivity to food type, re ecting early attention towards food stimuli (Meule et al, 2013;Schwab et al, 2017).…”

“…Interestingly, one study indicated that inhibitory responses to high-calorie stimuli elicited larger N2 amplitudes, while inhibitory responses to low-calorie stimuli resulted in smaller N2 amplitudes (Carbine et al, 2017b). Research has demonstrated that N2 amplitudes were greater during exposure to rap music compared to jazz music (Jing et al, 2024a). A decrease in N2 response strength may indicate weakened inhibitory control (Y.…”