Experimental study on thermal sensation and physiological parameter changes under the interaction of environmental temperature and taste

The thermal environment is a crucial part of the indoor environment and can exert influences on people’s thermal sensation as well as emotional changes. Taste, being a significant physiological sensation of the human body, also has an impact on human physiology and psychology. However, there is no clear conclusion on whether different tastes have different effects on thermal sensation at different environmental temperatures. This study aims to investigate the interaction between various environmental temperatures and tastes which has an impact on the changes in human thermal sensation and physiological parameters. Thirty subjects were selected for the experiment, where data such as subjective questionnaires, average skin temperature, core temperature and heart rate were collected. Three environmental temperatures (18°C, 22°C, 26°C) and five tastes (tasteless, salty, sweet, sour and bitter) were set. The results indicated that sweet taste enhanced human thermal sensation in cooler and neutral environments, whereas sour taste diminished it in warmer and neutral environments. Salty and bitter tastes did not affect thermal sensation. In the case of different environmental temperatures, the core temperature of the same taste decreased, the average skin temperature and heart rate increased as the environmental temperature rose. There was basically no variation in each objective parameter of different tastes at the same environmental temperature. This study not only complements the existing research in the related field concerning the influence of taste on human thermal sensation, but also furnishes a scientific foundation for creating a comfortable and healthy environment for humans.