Ren, Dongning, Tan, Kenneth, Arriaga, Ximena B., and Chan, Kai Qin (2015) Sweet love: the effects of sweet taste experience on initial romantic perceptions. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 32 (7). pp. 905-921.

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Abstract

Terms of endearment such as "sweetie," "honey," and "sugar" are commonly used in the context of describing romantic partners. This article explores how a relatively subtle manipulation, namely taste sensations, might influence romantic perceptions of a nonestablished relationship. Consistent with predictions, results from Studies 1 and 2 (n = 280) showed that participants evaluated a hypothetical relationship, but not an existing relationship, more favorably when exposed to sweet taste compared to non-sweet taste control. Study 3 (n = 142) further showed that participants indicated greater interest in initiating a relationship with a potential partner when exposed to sweet taste, as compared to control participants. Implications for the role of sweet taste experiences in attraction and relationship initiation are discussed.

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