A few things are Instagram constants: Selfies, cute animals, sunsets, and food porn. Countless users take the time to document their meals before consuming them — and not just their fancy lobster dinners or eye-catching cocktails. Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Starbucks also get lots of Instalove.
But Instagramming your food might be offending your taste buds. According to new research, looking at too many pictures of food can actually make eating it less enjoyable. “In a way, you’re becoming tired of that taste without even eating the food,” says the study’s coauthor Ryan Edler. “It’s sensory boredom — you’ve moved on. You don’t want that taste experience anymore.”
This is what “satiation” is: you get less pleasure out of something the more of it you have or do. The first time you hear a song, you might love it — maybe even the tenth time. But around the fiftieth time, you’re ready to bash your eardrums in.
The study says that in order for this effect to occur, you have to look at a lot of food photos. Meaning if a handful of your friends humblebrag about their dinners, you’ll be fine. But if you specifically follow foodie accounts, you might want to rethink your Instagram feed strategy.
It doesn’t help that sometimes, Instagram food porn is just gross. That filter… the Lux light adjustment… the graininess — it doesn’t always make for an appetizing image. A few examples of how Instagram can ruin your appetite for some of life’s most delicious foods:
https://www.instagram.com/p/fDfpA5L2yM/
https://www.instagram.com/p/fDgCBuDRbr/
https://www.instagram.com/p/fDfw_BREXC/
https://www.instagram.com/p/cGxaVZOeJc/
Maybe some thing are better left unfiltered …
