The Science Behind the Foods We Love (and the Ones We Hate!)

Adulthood: Pricey Menu Items

You might expect a glass of wine with a high price tag to be more delicious—and that expectation actually makes you enjoy the wine more. Researchers at Caltech and Stanford looked at people's brains as they sipped "$10" and "$90" Cabernets that were actually the same wines. The brain scans showed that when drinking the pricier pour, people experienced more activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (an area that codes for pleasure) than when they sipped the $10 version. Your wallet might balk at overpriced wine, but your taste buds will be pleased.