The effect of auditory stimulation on the consumption of soft drinks.

Three groups of five male and five female students were exposed to different levels of auditory stimulation (no music or music played at 70 dB or 90dB) under naturalistic conditions and were permitted to avail themselves freely of a supply of soft drinks. Increasing auditory stimulation produced an increase in total consumption. Reported prior frequencies of soft drink consumption and of exposure to loud music had no bearing on the result of the experimental manipulation, suggesting that the effect was not due to previous history.