Most of us probably don’t eat dinner while listening to live music every night. A meal out at a club or a cabaret house can be pricey and time consuming. Generally, we would go to one of these places a few times a year as a way to celebrate an occasion or give ourselves a treat. But what is better? Eating dinner accompanied by live music or eating dinner with only the sound of silence or our loved ones to keep us company?
Benefits of Dinner with Live Music
Enjoying dinner with live music is a tradition that is so old, we could not imagine a time without this combo. Like surf and turf, Curly and Moe, Burt and Ernie and ketchup and mustard, music and dinner just seem to go together. According to Lafayette’s Music Room, “studies show that people who eat dinner while listening to music actually eat slower, allowing their food to digest. They enjoy their food more; their senses are heightened by the music and they are able to experience tastes and textures they might have missed while eating their food in silence.”
Eating dinner while listening to live music is also something people don’t usually do every day. It is considered more of a treat that a mundane activity, so doing so might make people want to slow down their food consumption and enjoy themselves a little more than they usually would.
Benefits of Dinner without Live Music
Studies show, eating dinner while listening to music can actually make you fatter. People who listen to music while consuming food tend to eat more than they would if they ate without any background entertainment. Studies have also been done on how people perceive the time they’ve spent in a restaurant while listening to music. People who listen to fast music while eating believe they were in a restaurant for longer than they actually were. People who listen to slow music believe they were in the restaurant for less time than they were.
Studies have also been completed that show that food—especially comfort food—tastes better when listening to music. Food simply tastes better when we are influenced by a favorite song or melody.
People who eat dinner without a live musical interlude are able to deeply enjoy the company they keep. They are able to focus on their food and their company, enjoying conversation that might not take place if live music were involved.
The Verdict
Both eating dinner with live music and eating dinner without live music have plenty of benefits. While eating dinner with live music is highly enjoyable, makes food taste better and can slow down our time in a restaurant, it is generally something that we don’t do every day. It’s considered something we do as a reward or during a special occasion. Like indulging in decadent foods and spending money on fancy dinners, listening to live music with dinner is a pleasure that is best indulged in a few times a year. It can make us happier and give us long-lasting memories of happy times.
Eating dinner without live music—while not as exciting—is a great way to get to know our loved ones and reconnect with them at the end of the day. It helps us deeply focus on our food and take notice of everything we put in our bodies. This is a practice that is perfect for everyday food consumption.
The verdict? Enjoy dinner with live music from time to time, but don’t overdo it. Enjoy most of your meals with your family and a little conversation to help ease your stress and reconnect with your loved ones.
