Study: $90 wine tastes better than the same wine at $10

This graph shows the activity in the brain's pleasure center; there's more activity with wine subjects think costs $90 a bottle (top line) than the same wine priced at $10. The arrow shows the moment when the subjects started tasting the wine.

(Credit: CalTech, Stanford)

In a study that could make marketing managers and salespeople rub their hands with glee, scientists have used brain-scanning technology to shed new light on the old adage, "You get what you pay for."

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology and Stanford's business school have directly seen that the sensation of pleasantness that people experience when tasting wine is linked directly to its price. And that's true even when, unbeknownst to the test subjects, it's exactly the same Cabernet Sauvignon with a dramatically different price tag.

Specifically, the researchers found that with the higher priced wines, more blood and oxygen is sent to a part of the brain called the medial orbitofrontal cortex, whose activity reflects pleasure. Brain scanning using a method called functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) showed evidence for the researchers' hypothesis that "changes in the price of a product can influence neural computations associated with experienced pleasantness," they said.

The study, by Hilke Plassmann, John O'Doherty, Baba Shiv, and Antonio Rangel, was published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This chart shows that people ranked taste of a $45 wine higher than the same wine priced at $5, and the same for a different wine marked $90 and $10.

(Credit: CalTech, Stanford)

The research, along with other studies the authors allude to, are putting a serious dent in economists' notions that experienced pleasantness of a product is based on its intrinsic qualities.

"Contrary to the basic assumptions of economics, several studies have provided behavioral evidence that marketing actions can successfully affect experienced pleasantness by manipulating nonintrinsic attributes of goods. For example, knowledge of a beer's ingredients and brand can affect reported taste quality, and the reported enjoyment of a film is influenced by expectations about its quality," the researchers said. "Even more intriguingly, changing the price at which an energy drink is purchased can influence the ability to solve puzzles."

[boopiejones]

i already knew this

i hosted a christmas party a few years back and jokingly told a lady that i was originally planning to serve two buck chuck. her reply was that she would be absolutely offended if someone served her cheap wine at a party. so i put some chuck in an expensive bottle, poured her some, and she loved it.<br /><br />alot of wine people are really just "wine snobs." the ones that MUST drink the expensive wine and MUST drink out of a reidel glass. get over yourselves.

[discern]

Partly right

I know some folks who did a paper bag wine tasting at a party and <br />Two-buck Chuck won... followed closely by a $40 bottle of Pinot <br />Noir. I think knowing the price definitely can influence the subject, <br />but if you're truly after the actual quality of the wines, a truly blind <br />test is a better way to judge things.

[phillynets]

Anecdotes

And people wonder why we have to do stupid research studies - everyone has a ******* story from which to generalize.<br /><br />This is more than just wine. It's about perceptions and the roles that information can play (the ingredients of beer makes a difference to the taste of the beer?). Wine was the starting point.<br /><br />The brain waves indicate "satisfaction" and "assurance"... hmmn...

[lmr2020]

Not surprised....

This simply proves my contention that the world is full of pretentious posers. :)

[cubesquared]

It is twat it is...

Now a whole lot of $10 crack-****** are gonna become $1500 call girls. Amazing!

[phillynets]

Ingredients labeling

Just make sure the tatoo on her butt tells the clients what's inside. They'll feel soooo much better. Maybe a "New and Improved" emblazened across the chest would be prudent. That, or "Original"...

[imoretti]

It's not about taste...

The article headline is a bit misleading. The authors of the study <br />did not conclude that subjects found the $90 bottle 'tastier' than <br />the $10 bottle. They found the subjects simply had a more pleasant <br />experience -- pretty much what one might expect knowing (or <br />believing) that one is enjoying an expensive bottle of wine. Unless, <br />perhaps, one gets stuck with the check.

[Shankland]

It was also about taste

The respondents also ranked the $90 wine as tasting better than the $10 bottle of identical wine (take a look at the second graphic).

[Dan Greenfield]

Wine Gets Better With Price

Seems age is not the only criteria for better tasting wine. As a side note, I once went to a boutique restaurant in Santa Monica and asked for a glass of red. I didn't look at the price. So I was quite surprised when the bill was for $55 (2003 dollars) a glass.<br /><br />I can assure that the taste of the wine gets better each time I tell that story.<br /><br />Dan<br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://bernaisesource.blog.com" target="_newWindow">http://bernaisesource.blog.com</a>

[aka_tripleB]

I don't much care for wine

So you can serve me the cheap stuff, because I'm not going to like it anyway. Just don't go too cheap, because then I will get offended. One of those boxes of wine you find at Wal-Mart will work for me.

[Kalama]

Ripple is still Ripple ?

Straight out of the bottle or in fine crystal ... It's still Ripple !

[lennonjon]

The actual study

In response to imoretti: <br /><br />The primary article actually explains that they also collected subjective ratings of the taste of the "different" wines. This CNET article simply did not report that aspect of the study. So indeed not only were brain areas implicated, but participants reported that the "more expensive" wines tasted better.<br /><br />Of course the opposite can be said for Guinness. My $2.50 pints always seem to taste better than the $5.50 ones...<br /><br />Anyhoo, as a scientist I rarely take what is published in the popular press as factual. Always try to consult the primary source.<br /><br />At any rate, I am not at all surprised by these findings. We know that experience and expectations have dramatic effects on human perceptual processes.

[Shankland]

We did cover the ratings element

If you read the caption of the second graphic, you'll see we covered the fact that people rated the more expensive wine higher: "This chart shows that people ranked taste of a $45 wine higher than the same wine priced at $5, and the same for a different wine marked $90 and $10." It's true I could have devoted more attention to the matter, though.

[chash360]

Greed is becoming hardwired...

The argument really only holds true for wine and art, the valuation of such being total snobbery.<br /><br />They should have done a completely blind taste test first, then repeat it (same wine and participants) knowing the prices, for a true control.<br /><br />Regardless, it just means that people are either programming themselves with a pleasure response to expensive consumption, or lying about their perceptions to impress or meet the percieved expectations of others.<br /><br />Honestly pathetic, really, really pathetic our society has become. All those years of keeping up with the Jones', my car is better than yours, and my wine is better becuase it's more expensive have got us distorting our perceptions, so that we can appear impressive to others. I'll bet most of the participnats in this test, don't know crap about wine, and just assumed because it was more expensive it was better, and responded so, paying no attention to their real preferences. Try some vintage rothschild, heard its real expensive... and tastes like crap too...but its for real conesuers. (apologies, my spellings not with it today)<br /><br />P.S. All wine taste like crap to me, you won't find me trying to impress anyone with my approval of it, regardless of the price. Try the same test with something not so snobbish, like pizza, or beer, and see what you get.

[Imalittleteapot]

More than just wine and art.

This argument holds for a few more things. While in college when I worked at a hotel if we weren't selling rooms we would raise the price while everyone else was lowering theirs, and the sales would go up. People don't like cheap rooms. So just raise the prices, and it isn't a cheap room anymore right?<br /><br />I also seen three Compaq computers sit at my local Walmart for a year at $350. One day I walked in and the same computers had been raised to $400. A week later all of them were sold out. Couldn?t get my hands on one anymore. I noticed cause I was thinking about one for a second computer. Ended up getting something else, but I thought if they sat there and no one bought them perhaps they would come down even further in price. I was wrong. It was right before Christmas so obviously nothing scientific about that study.<br /><br />Star Bucks is a good example. I can?t stand that stuff. The local gas station?s coffee products taste much better to me, and it only costs 99 cents. Can?t seem to explain that to anyone around here though. They all have to have their Star Bucks. Perhaps I?ll try a blind taste test with that, but you never know maybe I just don?t like Star Bucks. So hard to tell with things like this.

[lennonjon]

In reply to GREED IS BECOMING HARDWIRED

&lt;&lt;Regardless, it just means that people are either programming themselves with a pleasure response to expensive consumption, or lying about their perceptions to impress or meet the percieved expectations of others.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />This is not necessarily the case. We are naturally influenced by experience and expectations. no conscious motive is necessary. Go read any introductory psychology textbook and you will find numerous cited sources for such a contention.

[twyrick]

re: greed, hard-wired? Nah....

If you read the whole article, you'll see at the bottom, they DID try it with more than just wine. They talk about people paying more for energy drinks and then performing better on cognitive puzzles.<br /><br />I don't think it's a "distorted perception" to believe that all things considered, you "get what you pay for", and items costing more are *generally* better-made than their cheaper counterparts. The results of this study don't prove that "greed is becoming hard-wired" at all. Rather, they show that we're accustomed to dealing with cheaper goods that are of "acceptable, but inferior quality", to the point where we may have unrealistic expectations about something with a higher price tag. The popularity of Wal-Mart and other "discount superstores" might be the culprit here, more than "snobbery"?

[ralfthedog]

You pay more attention to the expensive stuff.

You drink $100 a bottle wine differently than a $20. When you open a $20 or $30 dollar a bottle of wine with your friends, you don't pay attention to the wine. You just talk. When you drink a $100 a bottle wine you pay attention to every little sub taste, the texture, even the way the light plays off of the top of the glass. <br /><br />When you eat Cheetos do you pay attention to your food or the football game? When you eat a very good NY strip steak, do you pay attention to the food or the TV (Or I will admit, the blond)?

[The_Decider]

This is news?

years of corporate rule have conditioned people, just like lab rats.<br /><br />Your headline should have said: People are idiots!

[How Goes It]

Like P. T. Barnum said ---

"There's a sucker born every minute"

[boolebabbage]

beer drinker bias

this harvard guy drinks beer, not wine. don't trust the story. clearly biased.

[bigstupid]

Just like high-end audio cables...

Of course, performance is always directly proportional to how much money one wastes, I mean INVESTS, in purchasing a luxury item. It reminds me of those double-blind listening tests sprung on pretentious audiophiles where they find out they've been listening to (and raving about) the acoustic clarity of twin-lead antenna wire instead of their beloved $1,000-per-foot supercables.<br /><br />Well, don't feel bad... we're not laughing with you.

[pipermac]

wine like people

Like expensive wine, rich folks are supposed to be better too. I guess the veil has been lifted!

[joevaish]

Nahhh...

Just how biased the media is has the veil been lifted...Rich does not equal having good taste or intelligence. Look at Donald Trump for instance. Of course, my saying he has bad taste is subjective...just like this whole study. I am no expert but even I can taste the difference between two buck Chuck and a decent wine. The latter doesn't burn a hole in my stomach. Ahh who cares what I think... ;)

[ammiralowling]

$90 might feel good one day but not the next

Perhaps a $90 bottle will make you feel better. If you really can't afford $90 for wine you might not feel so good the next day when you have no money for food.<br /><br />In reality anyone can slap a high pricetag on a bottle. That does not mean it is worth the price. Even if the wine was great that does not mean it has remained that way. Then there's the whole area of pairing. A lot can go wrong with wine. <br /><br />Also if your tastebuds are not refined enough you're not going to appreciate $90. Then again what is refined? Who decides that? Many people go by price first, taste second. <br /><br />The best bottle I've ever found was $14.95. It was sinfully good. Bacchus definately was looking after me that day. But that's me it might not be the same with you.

[bitpir8]

Women or Men? How many.

Is this for both men and women? It seems men may take a more logical approach and find it distasteful even at higher rates, certainly more than a woman would.<br /><br />Women love to think what they are getting is more expensive than it really is, no matter what it is. A lot of them will take much less into consideration after high cost is spent on them. And then once they find out a friend's significant other got it for much less, watch out.<br /><br />So how many of these were men, and women? Is there a study for each?

[whobob]

Starbucks explained

Now I know why people drink Starbuck's coffee.

[Maryln Ann]

What was the wine?

I'd like to know the name of the $5 wine that did so well.

[The_Decider]

It was the same wine

Same wine, but they told people it was $90 and $10. Even though it was the same wine people liked it better when it was $90.

[airdrummer]

just like monster cables sound $300 better;-)

i've always thought economic analysis shoul be done on the complex plane;-)