According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Marketing, time spent photographing your delectable plate of artisan food creates a “momentary active delay in consumption,” which then heightens your appreciation of the food. It’s a concept that mirrors delayed gratification, the idea that the longer you have to wait for something, the more grateful you are for it when you can indulge. Unfortunately, though, while pausing for a quick photo session with your open-faced ahi tuna sandwich on rye makes it taste all the better, the momentary active delay in consumption won’t work on food that is already bad, like the disaster of the chicken piccata you tried to make last night. According to the CBC, “under normal conditions, this effect only works for indulgent food.” So, food grammers, allow yourselves to feel vindicated but you should know that no matter how much better it makes the food taste, it’s still really annoying.
