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The Relationship between Infant Facial Expressions and Food Acceptance

Catherine A Forestell1, Julie A Mennella2

  • 1The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187 USA.

Current Nutrition Reports
|July 5, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Infant taste preferences are shaped by early experiences. Objective measurements of facial reactions and food intake reveal how babies learn to like specific tastes, forming foundational dietary habits.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human nutrition

Background:

  • Understanding infant responses to taste is crucial for establishing healthy eating habits.
  • Early life experiences significantly influence lifelong dietary preferences.
  • Objective measurement of hedonic responses in infants presents unique methodological challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review methods for objectively measuring hedonic responses to taste in infants.
  • To explore how behavioral responses to taste change with early life experiences.
  • To discuss challenges in infant taste research.

Main Methods:

  • Objective measurement of orofacial reactivity to taste stimuli.
  • Analysis of infant facial expressions and consumption patterns.
  • Longitudinal observation of taste response modification.

Main Results:

  • Newborns show distinct facial reactions to basic tastes.
  • Infant facial expressions and food intake are modifiable by experience.
  • Facial responses can either align with or follow changes in infant consumption.

Conclusions:

  • Objective measurement of orofacial reactivity and ingestive behavior enhances understanding of taste perception.
  • Early experiences dynamically alter the hedonic perception of foods.
  • This forms the basis for developing long-term dietary preferences in children.
Abstract

Keywords:
distastefacial expressionsflavorlikingpleasuretaste

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