Episode 01. Crossing senses with Professor Charles Spence
How sight changes flavour, and why the brain believes what it sees
Episode 01
Crossing senses with Professor Charles Spence
How sight changes flavour, and why the brain believes what it sees
This episode is also available via: Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Amazon Music // YouTube
“None of us believe that our senses affect us as much
as, in fact, the evidence shows that they do.”
Can changing a drink’s colour change its flavour? Professor Charles Spence reveals how visual cues shape what we taste, and how even wine experts can be fooled by their eyes. From pink yoghurts tasting sweeter to salty ‘strawberry’ ice cream, Charles explores how our brains use sight to predict flavour and how expectation shapes experience.
We also discuss, blind tastings, mahjong masters, unexpected packaging design failures, and why paper and pencil beat fMRI scanners in Charles’ lab. This is a science-rich journey through how crossmodal perception shapes our everyday lives, from packaging to dining, wine to napkins.
Guest
Professor Charles Spence is a world-famous experimental psychologist who specialises in neuroscience-inspired multisensory design. He’s worked with many of the world’s largest companies, focusing on the design of enhanced multisensory food and drink experiences through collaborations with chefs, baristas, mixologists, chocolatiers, perfumiers, and the food & beverage and flavour & fragrance industries.
Charles’ book recommendation is The Futurist Cookbook by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, see all books here.
Key takeaways
• The perception of taste can be influenced by visual cues.
• Crossmodalism refers to the interconnectedness of our senses.
• Vision is often the dominant sense in our experiences.
• Expectations can lead to disconfirmation in taste experiences.
• Colour can significantly affect how we perceive flavour.
• Expertise in tasting can make individuals more susceptible to sensory illusions.
• Experiential learning can change consumer behaviour and preferences.
• Creating memorable experiences involves understanding sensory interactions.
• Our senses affect us more than we consciously realize.
• Evidence shows that we can be fooled by sensory cues.
00:00 // The mystery of taste perception
02:17 // Understanding crossmodalism
04:22 // The dominance of vision in sensory experience
10:01 // The influence of colour on taste
14:31 // Expectations and disconfirmation in taste
18:40 // Experiments in sensory perception
22:20 // Creating memorable consumer experiences
26:07 // Personal experiences and sensory memories
Host
Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her to speak or bring her activity lab to your event or organisation here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting and curator of The Sensologists.
Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye.
Episode taster haiku by Matt Parker
Complex senses
Delicious trickery
Imagination
How you can support this podcast
As a paid subscriber or recommend Sarah to colleagues or clients to give a talk or run an activity lab event. Senses are a strategy not an add-on. “Sarah’s talk was a game-changer” SXSW, “Left a lasting buzz and excitement behind her” BBC, ‘F*!*ing genius!’ Adobe MAX.
Theme music by AudioKraken. Thank you to Radim Malinic for the inspiration to make a podcast, and to podcasters Mili Tharakan, Klaudia Mitura and Suze Cooper for your generous advice.
This episode is dedicated to the life of my friend Moira Parker.