‘I really think that sound is the forgotten flavour sense. It really does play a much bigger role than many chefs and any of us realize,’ says Oxford Professor Charles Spence, who will surprise us with more insights like this at WDCD2015 on 21 & 22 May.
The focus of Professor Charles Spence’s work is on how people perceive the world around them. In particular, he is interested in the way our brains process information from each of our five senses. His research centres on how a better understanding of the human mind will lead to the better design of multisensory foods, products, interfaces and environments in the future.
A cognitive neuroscientist with a specialization in neuroscience-inspired multisensory marketing and design, Spence established the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University in 1997 to investigate questions relating to the role of attention in multisensory perception.
Multisensory design
Spence is a prolific contributor to scientific publications and newspapers, as well as the editor and/or author of eight academic books. He has also advised on various aspects of multisensory design, packaging and branding for many of the world’s largest multinational companies, among them Nestle, Unilever, P&G, Kraft, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Nespresso, LG Electronics, Toyota, BMW and the European Space Agency.
The Perfect Meal: The Multisensory Science of Food and Dining, his latest book, which he co-authored with Betina Piqueras-Fiszman, explores the world of gastrophysics, or ‘the new science of the table’, and investigates the interaction between vision and odour and taste perception.
Among the book’s suggestions for tackling obesity are ways to trick a diner’s mind into thinking that more food has been consumed than is actually the case, and methods for making food taste sweeter that don’t rely on adding sugar. Tips range from changing the colour of the plate to adding some digital seasoning in the form of sweet-sounding music.