Integrative research on factorial analysis of the emotional impacts of Japanese cuisine

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K05887
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38050:Food sciences-related
• Research Institution: Ryukoku University
• Principal Investigator: Yasmazaki Hanae 龍谷大学, 農学部, 教授 (70447895)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 森 紀之 同志社女子大学, 生活科学部, 准教授 (90585184)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 日本食 / おいしさ / 自律神経活動 / 気分状態 / 精神性発汗

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of Japanese food that strongly appeals to human emotions. It was evaluated by autonomic nervous system activity, salivary gland blood flow and palm sweating as an objective index, and a subjective questionnaire. The relevance of each evaluation index was examined. It was confirmed that the smell of food greatly contributes to the subjective sensation of deliciousness of food and the emotion that leads to the behavior of wanting to eat. On the other hand, there was no significant change in salivary gland activity depending on the presence or absence of odor, suggesting that it may be related to eating motivation and behavior rather than feeling delicious. In addition, a weak correlation was shown between palms sweating and mental state before and after eating.

Free Research Field

栄養学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本食は低エネルギー・低脂質であるにも関わらず、高い満足感やコンフォートさを有している。ほっとするおいしさや感動的なおいしさなど、おいしさにもさまざまな種類があるが、それらを客観的に評価する手法は確立されていない。主観的なおいしさの感覚や食への行動意欲との関連性を評価した本研究は、主観的感覚と自律神経活動、精神性発汗量に相関性を見出した。このことは、おいしさの客観的評価に加えて、さまざまな種類のおいしさ（感動的なおいしさ、安心感のあるおいしさ）を細分化できる可能性を示した。