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Facial Recognition Technology Shows Why Pizza Makes Us Happy

5/2/2017

It's no secret that pizza makes us happy, but has anyone ever tried to figure out why? To better understand the power of pizza, DiGiorno conducted a social experiment that measured its effect on the moods of party-goers – and the result was surprising.

While most would think it's the first delicious bite that elevates our mood most, party-goers we studied were actually happiest when pizza was baking in the oven and its aroma filled the room.

SOCIAL EXPERIMENT BY THE SLICE

To conduct this experiment, DiGiorno recruited real people to host friends and family for a pizza party at a Manhattan loft. During three separate parties, the room was set up with more than 40 high-resolution cameras that captured footage of guests while pizza baked in the oven, and after it was served.

Have you ever wondered why eating pizza makes you happy? A new social experiment from DiGiorno might help explain why.With the help of facial recognition and emotion-tracking software, the footage was then analyzed to identify patterns in emotion. For example, "joy" was classified based on indicators of happiness like smiles and eye movements.

"This experiment gave us unique insight into our belief that oven-fresh pizza helps people get more out of their occasions," said Jeff Hamilton, President, Nestlé Foods Division, Nestlé USA. "We were able to learn about how, when and why moods may change in response to pizza in an exciting new way."

THE RESULTS

Across all three gatherings, when pizza was in the oven, it coincided with the highest observable increase in joy – even greater than levels reached when the pizza was actually being eaten.

Notable findings include:

Pizza Prep: When pizza went into the oven, everyone's mood improved, with joy increasing up to 18 percentage points.
That Smells Great: As smell permeated the room, partygoers were happiest, with joy increasing up to 24 percentage points.
It's Ready: Taking pizza out of the oven also had significant impact on the moods of partygoers, with an increase in joy up to 20 percentage points.
Serving up Slices: When hosts cut the pizza, partygoers experienced up to an 11 percentage point increase in joy.
Eating Pizza: As partygoers took their first bite and began eating pizza, increase in joy went up to 11 percentage points.

From putting it in the oven and smelling the aroma as it bakes to finally enjoying those first bites, there's no doubt that baking pizza in your own oven is a sure-fire way to elevate any experience.

For more information on the findings, visit digiorno.com/powerofpizza or follow along at Facebook.com/digiorno and @DigiornoPizza on Twitter.

1 88 percent of respondents said eating pizza makes them happy. Data according to survey from United Minds. This survey was designed and conducted by United Minds on behalf of DiGiorno using an online survey of 1,086 Americans between 18 and 80 years of age. The sample was demographically representative of the US population. The survey was fielded Feb. 8-14, 2017.