I am totally excited by the TIL tag. What a great creation! Life is about learning as much as we can about as much as we can. So here´s my first little contribution to our steem knowledge base ;-) 

How your brain decides on the food´s taste

Did you know how much influence external factors do have on your sense of taste? I´ll show you 6 for a start: 

1. The old and wise sense of smell.
   It is scientifically proved that 90% of the sensations which we experience during a meal are not developed by our taste but our smell. According to evolution the sense of smell was the very first one developed. Single-celled organism already needed to react on chemical substances in its environment. So the smell has a long evolutionary background. Furthermore, smell doesn´t pass the thalamus, its information directly arrives at the amygdala and frontal lobe, those parts of our brain which are responsable for emotions. That´s why a lot of our sensations while eating are defined by emotions: pleasant, obnoxious, calming, etc ...
   
2. The basic skills of our mouth.
   The receptors in our mouth (oral mucosa) only permit to differentiate between 5 flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and the full-bodied taste called "umami" (Japanese: delicious) - and of course all combinations of them respectively. So the sense of taste itself is quite limited and "needs" other senses and especially our brain to be fully developed.
   
   
3. Taste can be teached and changes during the course of life.
   For the ladies: It is recommendable to have a big variety in eating already during pregnancy and lactation. Flavors are transmitted to the unborn child right from the beginning. Furthermore, the taste develops during the years. If you offer unloved food 8 to 10 times, the person may learn to like it. However, a general fondness for sweets or distaste for acidity are hereditary, so usually don´t change.
   
4. "Soul food": the strong relationship between taste and brain.
   The taste is especially linked to parts of our brain which are responsible for functions like basic needs, emotions and reflexes. That´s why the food we eat has a considerable influence on our well-being, vitality and health.
   
   
5. Light stimulates our sense of taste.  
   It is generally known that and scientifically proved that light has a strong influence on our senses. A German University got a bit further. They did a trial which showed the following: according to the test persons wine which was taken in a red or blue illuminated room had a better taste than wine which was served in a room with white or green light. The test persons even stated that they were willing to spend more money on a bottle of wine when offered in a red illuminated room instead of a green one. As formerly mentioned our senses of smell and taste are directly related to the part of our brain where emotions are created. Light and colors have phsychological effects, so the food we consume in different light situations has. You see, everthing is related!   
   
6. The memory decides.
   The main function of our sense of taste (from a biological point of view) is to inform us about the nutritional value and possible riskiness of food. Example: babies usually reject sour and bitter tasting food, since sour can be an indicator for immaturity or foulness, and a lot of poisonous substances have a bitter flavor.
   All these sensations and relations get well stored in our brain. So according to all these experiences our brain constantly guides us through the big jungle of nutrition. Economical possibilities as well as social trends and habits are also factors which are recapped in our head and have a strong influence on our consumerism. 

Our body is a magical mystery and will always be. I am happy having discovered the TIL section where we can share our infinite knowledge about this magical universe! 

If you want more magic moments, life lessons, surfing fun and a loooot of modern poetry meet me in my blog: @surfermarly ;-)

Cheers & live your dream,
Marly -