Women are more likely to enjoy food if they think it is bad for them.

One might assume a woman’s enjoyment of sweet treats like chocolate would be marred by the depressing mantra, “a minute on the lips and a lifetime on the hips.”

But according to a new study, the very guilt associated with indulging in forbidden foods can in fact enhance women’s enjoyment of them.

Researchers found that the perception of the food as somehow “sinful” meant the woman was “primed” to take more pleasure in it.

When women know the food is not bad for them, they could find it less tasty as their “expectation of pleasure” is lowered beforehand, it was suggested.

More here.