Workplace injustice leads to stronger sense of taste: study

Experiencing unfair treatment at work can sharpen the taste buds, thus making the taste of food stronger, according to a latest Canadian study.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Sauder School of Business of the University of British Columbia, is going to be published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.h In the first experiment of the study, participants were asked to recall fair or unfair workplace events, followed by a test in which they rated how strong food tasted.

Those who recounted situations of injustice rated the taste as much as 10 percent stronger, compared to those who recounted acts of fairness, the study showed.

In a second experiment, participants watched scenes from the British version of the TV show The Office, which involved clearly unjust and neutral situations. Participants who viewed the unjust treatment again reported food tasting as much as 10 percent stronger.

Professor Daniel Skarlicki, lead author of the study, said that human beings' perception of the world is altered by stress, and the study showed how seriously the mistreatment of our fellow humans impacts our physiology.

"This is just a glimpse into the kinds of physical effects that workplace stress has on us. Managers really need to foster fair environments for employees." he said.