Measurement of self-reported affective feelings when an aperitif is consumed in an ecological setting

• Measure of affective responses when an aperitif is consumed at a restaurant.
• Results failed to differentiate emotional responses for three aperitif variants.
• Results succeeded in showing mood state changes, which were product dependent.
• This study discusses the limits of the measures of emotion in ecological settings.

The aim of this study was to measure self-reported affective responses—emotion and mood—in an ecological setting when an aperitif is consumed before dinner at a restaurant. The product of interest was an aperitif drink, a “Kir” (a traditional French alcoholic aperitif made of white wine with fruit liquor), which was presented to participants in an experimental restaurant, after which participants had a three-course dinner. The specific influence of the Kir on affective responses was studied in relation to its fruit liquor composition: apricot, grapefruit, and raspberry. Two approaches were used to measure self-reported affective responses, each involving a different questionnaire. The first approach was related to the measure of immediate feelings by using the ScentMove® questionnaire while participants were consuming their aperitif. Results showed that the three Kir variants were not discriminated. The second approach consisted of measuring mood change across the whole dinner experience, before the aperitif, after the aperitif, and after the dinner, by using the Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS). Results showed that the raspberry Kir variant was associated with a significant decrease in two negative mood attributes, tense and anxious, after the participants had the aperitif, as compared with their initial mood state assessed before the aperitif. This study demonstrates therefore that mood state changes can be measured in a natural environment and highlights that these changes are product dependent, the most familiar Kir variant being associated with a greater decrease in negative mood states. However, considering the lack of Kir variant discrimination while participants consumed their aperitif and considering the limited long-term moods’ changes across the dinner, this study also emphasizes and discusses the limits of the measures of emotion in ecological settings. Finally, it is suggested to conduct more studies, which compare the measure of self-reported affective feelings in both laboratory settings and ecological settings.