Why do our tastes grow "older" and more "refined" with age?
Asked by
squirbel (
4297
)
October 27th, 2010
When I was young, I only liked things like milk chocolate and strawberry ice cream. I despised things like dark chocolate [too bitter] and pistachio ice cream [disgusting].
Now that I’ve aged some [close to 30], I find milk chocolate to be disgustingly sweet, as well as fruity ice creams. I love dark chocolate because it seems to be the perfect flavor, and pistachio ice cream is heaven!
I have found that several of my friends also went through this change; what’s the science behind this change? Have you experienced this?
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9 Answers
Response moderated (Unhelpful)
I’ll have to find a source, but I’ve been told that we lose taste buds as we age. If accurate, then that means that flavors are at their most intense when we’re little (and so we are more picky). As we age, the flavors are blunted. I suspect that it also has a bit to do with peer pressure and developing a tolerance for flavors when we are rewarded in some other way (alcohol, for example).
I still see many elderly people at McDonalds and Burger King on a regular basis. We like different things when we get older because we experience more things, but other adults still like chocolate milk and eat steak with ketchup lol. I know what you mean, but it’s not everyone.
Chalk it up to accumulated experience, and to the fact that tastebuds age just like everything else. : ))
@CaptainHarley X 2 on the accumulated experience. Too many have no idea what that is, I’m afraid. GA
Response moderated (Unhelpful)
I have read a few articles recently that explain how humans start out with a lot of tastebuds on their tongues and as they age they lose a lot of them. So when we are young, a lot of foods that have strong flavors may not taste good at all, like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, peppers and pungent cheese. Usually when you get older, you not only lose some of your taste buds, you also sample or come into contact with a lot of new foods, sometimes multiple times, to gain an acquired taste for them (like coffee and beer). Then there are some people, who apparently do not lose as many tastebuds, or started out with more tastebuds than the rest of us in the first place. These people are called super-tasters, and many foods can taste too strong to them. Bitter is the taste sensation that registers the strongest to these folks, but other flavors may be too intense too, like salty or spicy. These people are likely to start out as picky eaters and remain so thoughout their lives if they don’t take an active stance to acquire tastes for the offending items.
@Kardamom Thank you! You answered my question best :)
Thank you for the source.
Your’e welcome. Bon appetite!
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