If you’re trying to diet in the new year, a new study advises you to turn off your music.
And researchers at the University of South Florida found that quiet music or no music in a supermarket or restaurant increases healthy food sales because it leads to a state of relaxation.
When the music is played louder, the purchase of fatty and unhealthy foods is increased by 20%.
This is because, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, when music is played at a higher volume, it increases arousal and stress levels.
The researchers conducted a study in a cafe in Stockholm and divided snacks into healthy, neutral and unhealthy categories.
The researchers then turned on the music at a higher or lower volume.
When music was played at 70 decibels, 52% of purchased items were found to be unhealthy compared to 25% of healthy items purchased.
When music was playing at 55 decibels, purchases of healthy foods increased by 32% and purchases of unhealthy goods decreased by 42%.
In early January, Charles Spence, an Oxford professor of experimental psychology, advises people to turn down the volume of speakers or headphones if they want to achieve their goal of healthy eating.
“The results show that music can be a reason why you have a hard time making healthy snack choices,” he explained.
And in 2017, a cafe in Beijing tested the theory by turning on sweet soft music to reduce the sugar content of their drinks while still retaining the sweetness.
And in 2013, a study by the University of Birmingham found that eating in front of the TV leads a person to eat more during that and the next meal.
Source: Daily Mail
