研究：草莓是“最快樂的水果”

一項調查揭示，草莓是“最快樂的水果”。研究人員稱，草莓獨特的甜美香氣可以喚起那些令人開心的回憶。

草莓具有難以抵擋的誘惑力，86%的人只要一想到吃草莓，就會感覺更放鬆。研究還發現，蘋果等水果會讓人想起吃快餐等不怎麼美好的回憶，而香蕉和李子對於改善心情是最沒有幫助的。

It is the fruit most associated with those lazy, hazy days of British summer. So perhaps it comes as no surprise the strawberry has been crowned the ‘happiest fruit’.

Its appeal is so strong that 86 per cent of people feel more relaxed just by thinking about eating one, a survey for the University of London revealed.

Researcher Professor Barry Smith said it is the distinctive smell of strawberries that evokes happy memories.

Fruits such as apples bring back less pleasant memories of meals on the go, while bananas and plums were the least likely to improve mood.

The study also found that sound impacts on taste, with the noise of a picnic or lawnmower making strawberries seem fruitier than a background of honking traffic or a bustling office.

Finally, despite our love of strawberries and cream, those who took part in the study for the growers at British Summer Fruits said they were more likely to associate the berries with the smell of freshly cut grass.

With this in mind, chef James ‘Jocky’ Petrie, of the Ledbury restaurant in London’s Notting Hill, has created a strawberry sandwich complete with a ‘grass’ layer – made from white chocolate and wheatgrass.

Professor Smith, who did the research at the University of London’s Centre for the Study of the Senses, said: ‘The smell is difficult to create artificially.

'Flavouring companies have failed at it by and large and yet it is so powerful as a reminder of those happy summer days.’