Perhaps it's time to put your phone down when you're having your meal. Marketing professors have confirmed that Instagramming dinner ruins the meal. A new study in the
Journal of Consumer Psychology says over-exposure to food photos on Instagram ruins enjoyment of food for everyone at the table.
Study authors Ryan Elder and Jeff Larson of Brigham Young University had 232 people look at and rate pictures of food. Half the participants looked at pictures of different desserts while the other half looked at pictures of salty snack foods. After looking at the photos, participants ate salty foods and were asked to rate how they tasted - participants who viewed the salty food pics enjoyed their snack less.
"In a way, you're becoming tired of that taste without even eating the food," Elder said in a statement. "It's sensory boredom--you've kind of moved on. You don't want that taste experience anymore."