Eating regular meals in novel ways can actually break the boredom and make the whole experience a lot more fun and enjoyable, according to a new study.

Researchers from Ohio State University found that unconventional techniques of consuming food, such as eating popcorn with chopsticks, alters the whole experience and even makes one feel she’s tasting the food for the first time.

Immersive Experience In Food

“It’s like eating popcorn for the first time,” said study author and marketing assistant professor Robert Smith, referring to consuming the celebrated snack using chopsticks.

Smith added that same may explain the popularity of concepts such as “pitch black” restaurants that serve their customers in the dark.

In an experiment, 68 people participated in a study supposedly intended to help them eat more slowly. Half of them ate popcorn kernels one at a time using their hands, while the remaining half did the same but while using chopsticks.

Afterward, the second group reported enjoying the meal better than the first, giving the same popcorn a much better flavor rating. They revealed being more immersed in the experience, which helped enhance the taste and increased their focus on the food.

In a repeat experience, the two groups felt equally immersed regardless of whether they used their bare hands or chopsticks. This suggested that chopsticks boost enjoyment as an unusual first-time thrill, not necessarily because they’re a better method of eating popcorn.

The team found similar results in their second study, where they found that drinking water was rated better when done in novel ways such as out of a martini glass.

Similar Results In Watching Video

For another experiment, the researchers asked the participants to watch a video filmed from a motorcyclist’s perspective: a group watching using “hand goggles,” with their thumbs and index fingers forming circles around their eyes.

After the study, the researchers offered to let the subjects download the video to keep. They saw that three times more individuals who watched using hand goggles asked to get the video than those in other conditions, such as watching the video upside-down.

Smith explained that the trick may be in the hand goggles as it got them to pay more attention to the video than they would normally have. The findings can be applied to other things, such as finding new and exciting ways to eat more veggies.

The results of the study were published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.