In a new study, marketing professors have confirmed that Instagramming your food at meals can ruin the enjoyment of food not only for you, but basically everyone that you are with.

Participating in the study, though, was pretty fun for all involved. Authors Ryan Elder and Jeff Larson of Brigham Young University had 232 people look at and rate pictures of food. Half of the participants looked at pictures of different desserts (mainly cakes, pastries, and chocolates) and the other half looked at pictures of salty snack foods such as pretzels and potato chips. Following the photo viewing, participants ate salty foods and were asked to rate how good they tasted–participants who viewed the pictures of salty food enjoyed their snack less.

“In a way, you’re becoming tired of that taste without even eating the food,” Elder said in a statement. “It’s sensory boredom–you’ve kind of moved on. You don’t want that taste experience anymore.”

I can’t believe that a study of this was done, but it is incredibly fascinating. I’ll admit – I am a food Instagrammer and even though I find the act to be slightly embarrassing, I do it anyways. There have been meals where Kevin and I have literally pulled out our phones at the same time to Instagram and it’s silly. I have even been tempted in the past to try and use software like storiesig so I can download Kevin’s picture on his story because I prefer his over mine, haha! Saying that, I’m not sure if I can say that that makes my food tastes less better, but it definitely looks good in a photograph. Maybe I am missing the point here…

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