Food Neophobia, Odor Evaluation and Exploratory Sniffing Behavior

Past research has shown that people who avoid new foods (neophobics) and people who approach new foods (neophilics) differ in their sensory ratings of food and odor stimuli. The possible role of sampling behaviors in these differences was assessed in two studies. Participants completed neophobia surveys, then rated the pleasantness of odors while wearing a device that measured sniffing behavior. Neophobics rated the odors as less pleasant and sniffed them less vigorously in both studies. The results of these studies provide further evidence for differences in the way that neophobics and neophilics respond to novel, food-like stimuli. Neophobia influences willingness to try novel foods, expected liking for these foods, food-associated sampling behaviors and post-sampling ratings of food-like stimuli. It is proposed that the responses of neophobics and neophilics will differ when little information about the sensory properties of foods are available, and that these differences will moderate as sensory information is acquired.