Nerdy notes...
What I Took Home from SSP 2026
From combining research methods to expanding AI capabilities and building stronger connections, SSP 2026 left me with fresh ideas and questions about how sensory science can better support meaningful decisions.
AI Can Talk About Smell. But Can It Smell?
AI can describe what something smells like, but can it actually connect those descriptions to chemistry? Exploring how multimodal AI, chemical sensors, and human language could bridge the gap between physical measurements and sensory experience—and why sensory scientists are essential to making these models meaningful.
Different Methods, Different Minds: What Happens When Consumers Don’t Have Time to Think?
When implicit and explicit consumer measures disagree, does one reveal the ‘real’ consumer? New findings suggest a more interesting question: when, why, and for whom do the methods diverge?
AI, Asparagus, and Asking Better Questions: Reflections from EuroSense 2026
AI was everywhere at EuroSense 2026. So were some very human reminders of what makes sensory science valuable. From digital twins and an imaginary “asparagus method” to palate cleansers and hallway conversations, here’s what the conference made me think about where our field is headed.
Beyond Liking: What Consumer Language Can Tell Us About Whether Sunscreen Actually Gets Used (Eurosense 2026 poster)
We know a lot about what consumers perceive and prefer—but less about what happens when products have to fit into real life. Our EuroSense 2026 poster uses sunscreen to explore how natural consumer language can reveal the sensory friction, workarounds, and moments that shape whether a product actually gets used.
A Nerdoscientist’s Guide to Snacking Your Way Around the World
What can a bag of chips tell us about culture? Quite a lot.
Our family tradition of trying unusual chip flavors around the world is mostly for fun—but it’s also a reminder that taste, preference, and even what we consider “normal” are shaped by culture, familiarity, expectations, and experience.
SSIB 2026: Beyond Liking: What Potato Chip Reviews Can Teach Us About Ingestive Behavior (conference poster)
Can thousands of everyday consumer reviews reveal the behavioral mechanisms behind real-world food choices?
Using Behavioral Topic Mapping, we analyzed Amazon chip reviews to move beyond preference and uncover how sensory experiences, habits, emotions, and context shape snack consumption.
Everything Has a Formula
Behavioral mechanisms are explanations.
Once you begin looking for those mechanisms, something interesting happens. You stop asking what consumers said and start asking what generated those experiences in the first place.
That's where innovation becomes much more interesting.
Because once you understand the mechanism, you aren't limited to solving today's problem. You can begin anticipating tomorrow's.
What Is Behavioral Topic Mapping?
Trend reports tell us what consumers are talking about today, but not necessarily where behavior is headed tomorrow. Learn how Behavioral Topic Mapping combines behavioral science and AI-assisted pattern recognition to uncover the motivations, tensions, and unmet needs that connect seemingly unrelated consumer trends.
How Understanding Cognitive Dissonance Can Help Us Get What Really Drives Consumer Choices
When it comes to consumer packaged goods (CPG), figuring out what drives people to pick one product over another can be a tough nut to crack. We know things like taste, branding, and convenience play a big role, but there’s another layer that often gets overlooked—cognitive dissonance.