为什么你戒不掉巧克力?科学家说:不光是因为好吃

How much of your chocolate buying is based on taste, and how much is based on the shininess of its wrapping? A new study backs up what we've long suspected – the way chocolate is packaged creates a stronger emotional pull than what it actually tastes like.

你买巧克力有多少是基于口味，又有多少是因为包装的绚丽?一项新的研究证实了我们长期以来的猜测——巧克力的包装方式比它的实际味道更能产生强烈的情感吸引力。

And while the chocolate we buy in the future is mostly dependent on how it tastes, the research suggests, how we perceive that taste on our tongue is influenced to some extent on the way the treat was wrapped up.

研究表明，虽然我们未来会买什么巧克力主要取决于它的味道，但我们舌头尝到的味道在一定程度上受到了包装的影响。

The team behind the study, from the University of Melbourne in Australia, says their work could be helpful for companies looking for ideas for how to market their products – as well as making us more aware of how we're choosing what to put in our shopping baskets.

来自澳大利亚墨尔本大学的研究团队表示，他们的研究成果可能有助于企业寻找营销产品的思路，同时也能让我们更清楚地意识到，我们是如何选择加购哪些东西。

"There's a difference in how consumers perceive intrinsic product cues – like flavor, aroma, and texture – which are associated with sensory and perceptual systems, and how they perceive external cues – like packaging materials, information, brand name, and price – which are associated with cognitive and psychological mechanisms," says one of the team, Frank R. Dunshea.

团队的成员之一Frank R. Dunshea说：“消费者如何感知产品本身的特质——比如味道、气味和质地——与感官和感知系统相关联，而他们如何感知产品外在特点,比如包装材料、信息、品牌、和价格——则与认知和心理机制相关联，这两者是不同的”。

"The information provided via packaging can influence customers' expectations and affect their emotional response when their sensory experience confirms or doesn't confirm their initial impression."

“包装提供的信息会影响顾客的期望，而他们通过检验自己的感官体验是否和初印象保持一致，从而影响他们的情绪反应。”

For this experiment, 75 chocolate tasting volunteers were asked questions based on three conditions: a taste test with no packaging, a look at the packaging with no tasting, and a taste test with the packaging visible.

在这个实验中，75名巧克力品尝志愿者基于三种测试条件来回答问题：一个只尝味道不带包装的测试，一个不尝味道只带包装的测试和一个既尝味道又带包装的测试。

For the last part, samples of the same chocolate were wrapped in six different packaging concepts – bold, fun, everyday, special, healthy and premium. Participants were asked to rate the taste of the product, the emotions it prompted, and how likely they would be to buy the chocolate in the future.

在最后一个环节，同样的巧克力样品的包装分别对应六个不同的包装概念——大胆、有趣、日常、特殊、健康和优选。参与者被要求评价产品的味道、吃完的感受，以及他们回购此款巧克力的可能性。

People rated a chocolate's taste lower if the wrapper didn't match what was inside. What's more, when the wrappers mentioned positive words, there was a positive link between liking both the packaging and the taste of the chocolate.

如果包装和里面的巧克力不匹配，人们对巧克力的评价就会更低。更重要的是，当包装上提到积极的词语时，人们也更容易喜欢此款巧克力的包装和味道。