Many people assume that unhealthy food simply tastes better than healthy food. This belief influences food choices and has long been considered one of the psychological barriers to healthier eating habits.

However, new research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied suggests that the persistence of this belief may have less to do with taste itself and more to do with how people learn from their experiences.

Researchers Niklas Pivecka, Sonja Kunz, and Arnd Florack investigated why the widespread “unhealthy = tasty” belief continues to exist despite the growing availability of healthy foods that consumers also find enjoyable.

Across four experiments involving nearly 1,000 participants, the researchers found that people tend to repeatedly select foods that align with their existing beliefs. In environments where tasty food options are abundant, these choices are frequently rewarded with positive experiences. As a result, individuals have little incentive to explore alternatives.

This creates a psychological process the authors describe as hedonic sampling: people seek pleasurable experiences and continue choosing options they expect to enjoy. While this strategy often feels rational, it can also prevent people from discovering evidence that contradicts their assumptions.

The studies demonstrated that participants maintained false beliefs about the relationship between healthiness and taste in “reward-rich” environments, even when the actual evidence suggested otherwise. By contrast, when positive experiences were less common, participants explored more options and were more likely to update their beliefs.

The findings suggest that food-related beliefs can persist not because they accurately reflect reality, but because people repeatedly choose experiences that confirm their expectations. By seeking enjoyable food experiences and rarely exploring alternatives, individuals may fail to update inaccurate beliefs about the relationship between healthiness and taste. For organizations promoting healthier lifestyles, the research highlights an important opportunity: helping consumers discover positive experiences with healthy foods may be more effective than simply telling them that healthy options can taste good.