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Instagram Food Pics Might Ruin Your Appetite


October 10, 2013 | Andy Cush

According to a group of researchers at Brigham Young University, viewing a large number of pictures of food might actually make the food taste worse. That means the endless stream of amateur food photography available to you on Instagram might be ruining your appetite.

The Salt Lake Tribune explains:

Half the participants viewed 60 pictures of sweets such as cake, truffles and chocolate, and the other half saw images of salty foods — chips, pretzels and french fries.

Afterward, participants were asked to eat salty peanuts and rank how much they enjoyed them. The people who had seen the salty-food pictures reported less enjoyment. Even though they hadn’t actually seen pictures of peanuts, the researchers said, they were satiated by the sensory experience of saltiness from the photos.

Alternately, food photo overload might be an effective dieting tool. Craving cupcakes? Just head here and look around until you aren’t hungry anymore.