Pleasures of the palate from the consumer marketing perspective

• We show how pleasure-seeking represents a key factor in consuming food.
• The negative side effects of food choices are downplayed by the consumers.
• Multisensory and situational effects alter the flavor perception and liking.
• Neuroscience offers new tools to research motivations related to eating behavior.

Eating and related decisions are strongly influenced by mental processing of sensory experiences and expectations about the future value of consumption. This article reviews the extant interdisciplinary literature. The emotional responses and inhibitions are given prominence as the paper focuses on a holistic perspective on eating. It is argued that beyond the physiology of the brain, studies inform best how the consumers develop their attitudes and make decisions about food. Main mental factors and processes affecting the perceived (dis)pleasure are addressed and the future research objectives proposed.