Fear Reduces Perceived Sweetness: Changes in the Perception of Taste due to Emotional State.

This study manipulated the emotional state of participants by having them watch movies involving comedy, horror, and beautiful scenery. High state anxiety was triggered among the participants who watched a horror movie, and high juice consumption was confirmed among them. The perception of sweetness of the mixed juice was found to be reduced in the horror movie group compared to the other two groups, while the comedy movie group participants were found to have tasted less bitterness than did the horror movie group participants. Furthermore, the relationship between liking the juice and sweetness was found to differ according to emotional state. This study confirms that our emotional state affects our perception of taste, including that feeling fear and anxiety can reduce the perception of sweetness. These findings suggest that our emotional state may affect our perception of taste.