Price tags influence our preference for wine:The same wine tastes better when the label has a higher price tag. Scientists have found that the decision-making and motivation center in the brain plays a crucial role when such price advantages occur. The researchers assessed how different prices are translated into the corresponding taste experiences in the brain, even if the wine tasted does not differ. 30 participants took part in the study, of which 15 were women and 15 men, with an average age of approximately 30 years.
The wine tasting took place in an MRI scanner, which recorded brain activity online while the participants tasted the wines. Each time, the price of the wine was shown first. Only then was approximately one milliliter of the respective wine administered to the subject through a tube in their mouth. The participants were then asked to rate how well the wine had tasted them via a button on a nine-point scale. Their mouths were then rinsed with a neutral liquid and the next identical wine sample was given for tasting. As expected, the participants stated that the wine with the higher price tasted better than a much cheaper one. The measurements of brain activity in the MRI scanner also confirmed this.
