Nov 16, 2015 10:30 AM EST
Eating Vanilla Yogurt Can Make You Feel Happy

A recent research published in Food Research International says that being pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by the taste of something can change a person's mood. Though there have been many previous studies that identified the significant health benefits of yogurt, this initiative focused on the ability of vanilla yogurt in eliciting positive emotional reaction in a series of tests

Plain low-fat yogurt, which is made by fermenting low-fat or skim milk, is classified as a healthy addition to your diet. It is not only low in calories, but it also has lots of beneficial nutrients and probiotics, live beneficial bacteria, that can enhance overall health.

Tests were carried out among three groups of at least 24 participants. The subjects were given a pair of yogurts to taste, those of the same brand and were marketed in the same way, as well as those that had different flavors or fat content.

Measuring their emotional responses, a new emotive projection test (EPT) helped in determining the effect of different yogurts on people's moods. Hence, the eye-tracking test characterized their gazing behavior and visual attraction of stimuli to aid in food packaging assessment. Likewise, face-reading and autobiographical tests yielded interesting results. 

Evidently, vanilla yogurt got a significant positive emotional response, "supporting previous evidence that a subtle vanilla scent in places like hospital waiting rooms can reduce aggression and encourage relationships among patients and between patients and staff".

The research team unearthed that eating vanilla yogurts could make people feel happy. Thus, other yogurts with lower fat content apparently could provide people a stronger positive emotional response.

"This kind of information could be very valuable to product manufacturers, giving them a glimpse into how we subconsciously respond to a product. We were surprised to find that by measuring emotions, we could get information about products independent from whether people like them," lead author of the study, Dr. Jozina Mojet from the Netherlands explained. 

Other clinical studies show that yogurt can also do wonders on your skin, giving you a smooth, soft and vibrant glow.

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