A peculiar study conducted in Austria has revealed that listening to music you despise might actually increase your craving for sugary foods, even when your overall appetite drops.

The findings, published in Appetite, suggest that disliked music triggers a form of compensatory consumption—a psychological mechanism where the brain subconsciously seeks high-reward comfort foods to offset negative emotions.

The research team, led by Jonas Potthoff and Anne Schienle, divided 106 participants into three groups: one listened to self-selected liked music, another to disliked music, and a third experienced silence.

Before and after the listening session, participants rated their general desire to eat and their emotional state.

They were then presented with a buffet table displaying three high-sugar items, three low-sugar options, and three non-food objects. Using an eye tracker, the researchers recorded visual attention before allowing participants to eat freely.

The results were striking. After listening to disliked music, participants reported a lower general desire to eat—yet nearly 62% of them chose high-sugar gummy sweets.

In contrast, only 24% of those who listened to liked music opted for sugary treats, with the majority preferring fruits. The no-music group fell in between, at 38%.

Interestingly, the disliked music did not significantly alter visual attention toward food.

Participants looked at food items longer than non-food items regardless of the musical condition, suggesting that the craving for sugar was driven by mood regulation rather than visual fixation.

Because the unpleasant music worsened their affective state, their brains instinctively reached for sugar-dense comfort food as a coping mechanism—a classic example of emotional eating.

The authors concluded that music can bias food-related decision-making independently of attentional processes.

While liked music may encourage healthier choices, disliked music increases susceptibility to high-sugar foods even when general appetite is suppressed.

These findings highlight music's potential as a subtle, non-caloric intervention for promoting low-sugar eating behavior.