Singing Happy Birthday makes cake taste better

Singing 'Happy Birthday' before having a slice of cake makes it taste better, scientists claim.

Rituals such as saying grace, making a birthday wish while blowing out candles or the ceremonial cutting of the cake before eating can enhance the flavour of the food, according to a new study.


The study, by researchers from Minnesota University, could explain why we have so many unusual customs and quirky habits when it comes to eating and drinking.


Professor Kathleen Vohs, who led the study, said: "Whenever I order an espresso I take a sugar packet and shake it, open the packet and pour a teeny bit of sugar in and then taste.


"It's never enough sugar so I then pour about half of the packet in. The thing is this isn't a functional ritual – I should just skip right to pouring in half the packet."


To learn more about the link between rituals and food, the researchers carried out a series of experiments which they described in the Psychological Science journal.

In one test some participants were given a piece of chocolate and told to break it in half without unwrapping it first, and then eat one half before unwrapping the other and eating it too.

Those who had performed the ritual rated the chocolate more highly, savoured it more and were willing to pay more for it than a separate group who were allowed to eat it however they wanted.

A second experiment using carrots found that the anticipation of eating the vegetable following a ritual improved their taste, with people enjoying them more the longer they waited to eat them.

In the final experiments the researchers showed that watching someone else methodically mix lemonade does not make it taste any better, suggesting that personal involvement is key.

They also found "intrinsic interest" – the fact rituals draw people into what they are doing – fully accounted for the positive effects they have on our eating experiences.

While these could seem small or mundane the effects they produce are quite tangible. And while rituals are common before mealtimes they could play a role in other situations.

Prof Vohs said: "We are thinking of getting patients to perform rituals before a surgery and then measuring their pain postoperatively and how fast they heal."