Why Crunchy Foods Have The Ability To Make Us Think They Taste Better

There's a reason so many recipes gain popularity by claiming to have the secret to ridiculously crispy and crunchy fried chicken, and it doesn't only have to do with flavor. There's something about the experience of biting into a crunchy food that makes it taste even better — a synesthesia effect that leaves us coming back bite after bite. Though it may sound like a half-baked theory, there's actual evolutionary science to back it up. 

As Oxford gastrophysicist and psychologist Charles Spence, Ph.D., explained to Well and Good, the sound of a good crunch signals to our brains that our food is fresh. In an interview with NPR, University of Southern California researcher John S. Allen even suggested a link between that freshness receptor and the earliest homo sapien foragers. This crunch-as-freshness factor is especially true for vegetables, but it applies to all sorts of crunchy foods — including fried chicken and other dishes dipped in hot oil. 

Beyond the appeal of freshness, Spence argues that tucking into crunchy food captures our attention and makes the eating experience more enjoyable. You may have heard of eating with your eyes, but crunchy foods make a case for eating with your ears. 

Who among us has not opened a family-size bag of potato chips with the intention of eating a few, only to emerge from a fugue state 15 minutes later with an empty bag and a stomach ache? When crunchy foods capture the attention of our lizard brains, it can be hard to pull away. Alan Hirsch, M.D., refers to this phenomenon as the "music of mastication." He told Mental Floss, "For non-gustatory, non-olfactory stimulation, people prefer crunchiness," as it helps give a sensory indication of what they're eating. "When we hear it, we eat more," he added.

Hirsch's research suggests we might crave the sound of crunchy food more than the actual taste of the food itself. Luckily for the latter, the former seems to pull enough weight to make for a delightful snack experience, even when the spices and seasonings are lacking.

No one likes to be pigeonholed into a consumer category — it can make a person feel helpless and robot-like. Nevertheless, if you know you gravitate toward food that makes a loud sound when you bite into it, you might be what the food marketing industry calls a "cruncher." Now would be the time to order a vanity plate for your car. 

According to research published by the Understanding and Insight Group in the Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, consumers can be divided into four groups: Crunchers, chewers, smooshers, and suckers. Crunchers and chewers use their teeth the most. However, the study found that, unlike the gentle chewer, crunchers "preferred foods that broke up (fractured) on biting." 

See if you know what category you fit into the next time you enjoy something crispy. If you identify as a cruncher, take comfort in the fact that you know how to live in the present, unlike those distractable smooshers of the world.