Members in the Media
From: The Atlantic

Study of the Day: Why That Last Piece of Chocolate Tastes the Best

The Atlantic:

PROBLEM: Our fondest memories usually involve the last of something, be it a farewell kiss or the final day of school. Does this last-is-best bias extend to more trivial events in everyday life?

METHODOLOGY: University of Michigan psychologists Ed O’Brien and Phoebe C. Ellsworth recruited 52 students for a taste test of Hershey’s Kisses to see if even the smallest of endings have a “positivity effect.” The experimenters drew five chocolates — milk, dark, crème, caramel, and almond — in random order from a hidden pocket inside a bag without sharing to the participants how many chocolates there would be. Some participants were told each time they tasted a chocolate: “Here is the next one.” The others, however, were informed before the fifth piece was given that “this is the last one.”

Read the whole story: The Atlantic

More of our Members in the Media >


APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines.

Please login with your APS account to comment.