Cognitive Cravings: The Mental Menu of Our 5 Basic Tastes
When Remy tries the fromage-strawberry combination, he is completely immersed in the act of taste. The richness of the cheese, the sweetness of the strawberry — combined, it’s like heaven in a bite. Each flavour is equally noted, providing a pleasant experience as the taste lingers on his tongue.
Not only is this one of my favourite scenes from Disney’s Ratatouille, but it serves a greater purpose. This is a prime example of how taste, as its basis, functions. It describes the psychological workings of our most prized sense, taste.
Taste vs. Flavour
Often, the words “taste” and “flavour” are used interchangeably. However, within the realm of psychology, it is important to create a distinction between the two.
Flavour references the interaction between taste and smell that occurs in the nasopharynx. On the other hand, taste refers to the result of when molecules bind with the taste receptors found on the cell, helping to detect one of the 5 basic tastes.
How Is Taste Processed?
To start, both taste and flavour are triggered by the introduction of chemical stimuli. Utilizing the tastebuds found on both the tongue, throat, and soft palate, the taste receptors help detect these food particles. Per taste pud, there are approximately 50–150 cells which aid in breaking it down into nutrients (Cadieux, 2024).
Each of the taste buds can detect these 5 basic tastes, communicating signals to the brain through afferent neurons that help create the perception of taste. More specifically, the taste receptors (chemoreceptors) release ATP information, which travels from the gustatory nerve to the medulla. As a result, our brain provides instructions on how our body should react to the taste, and we become consciously aware of how taste is processed. This information further travels to the thalamus, which processes it to the cortexes and/or hypothalamus.
With the cortexes specifically, there are 3 that provide key information:
- Primary Somatosensory cortex: Will combine one’s taste with the corresponding texture
- Gustatory cortex: Allows us to perceive taste, focusing on how the specific neurons of the cells respond to the 5 tastes
- Orbital cortex: Responsible for combining with smell, to create flavour
The 5 Basic Tastes
The key to all the useful taste-related information stems from the 5 basic tastes. These include sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami.
Sweet foods are a popular indicator of energy-rich foods. Binding to the sweet receptor proteins, these sugars are broken into glucose. Acting as the body’s primary energy source, our body seemingly encourages us to seek out foods with this taste. It is due to the overall pleasant response we experience when eating “sweet” foods that cause us to crave them more.
Unlike the above, salty foods are a bit more complicated. On one hand, they provide a positive-tasting experience when diffused through the sodium channels of specific cells. This also alludes to the impact of evolutionary psychology, where as a result of salt as a rare commodity, eating this type of food led to great mental satisfaction. However, on the other hand, too much salt disrupts the chemical balance of our bodies. As a result, over-salted foods are interpreted as sour and bitter.
Bitter foods follow a similar pattern to that latter of salt, providing a warning for the body. As it binds to the bitter receptor protein, information is passed along to warn us that the consumed food is potentially poisonous. This stems from evolutionary psychology, where toxic foods generally have a bitter taste. Therefore, in developing a general distaste for bitter foods, our bodies have evolved to protect us. However, some individuals are born with an anomaly, lacking the bitter protein which allows them to have a higher tolerance for these foods. Moreover, as we’ve begun to appreciate a more well-cooked veggie and meat diet, there is a reduced need for the bitter receptor.
Similarly, sour tastes are often found in highly acidic foods. As a result, we often experience unpleasant sensations, protecting us from spoiled foods that would detriment our digestive systems. However, many fruits also contain acidity alongside sugar (e.g. Vitamin C fruits), prompting us to find enjoyment when there is a healthy balance of both. Over time, our aversion to sour foods has decreased, even without a sugar presence.
Umani, often synonymous with “meaty” flavours better activates its corresponding receptor from the presence of amino acids. A powerful indicator of protein presence, umami has dictated our love for cooked foods (which have a more “meaty” flavour compared to the raw version).
Together, without all 5 basic tastes, our bodies would not properly account for the nutrients needed. This psychological detection allows our bodies to maintain a healthy state, ensuring that we protect ourselves from the food we put in our mouth.
References & Resources to Learn More:
Bilow, R. (2014, May 14). When it comes to taste, what matters more: Our mouths or our minds?. Bon Appétit. https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/psychology-of-taste
Cadieux, M. (2024, March 11). Hunger And The Chemical Senses [PowerPoint slides]. McMaster University, AvenueToLearn.
Samarrai, F. (2015, February 28). A Sense of Taste: Psychology Professor Examines the Taste System. UVA Today. https://news.virginia.edu/content/sense-taste-psychology-professor-examines-taste-system
Weir, K. (2019, April 1). A matter of taste. Monitor on Psychology, 50(4). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/04/taste
Zhou, Y., & Tse, C. (2020). The Taste of Emotion: Metaphoric Association Between Taste Words and Emotion/Emotion-Laden Words. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00986
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