Why does a cold drink taste so refreshing and seem to just hit the spot after consuming something sweet/salty?
In: Biology
This may just describe what happens, doesn’t explain why, but it pretty much covers everything in a general way!
In economics there is a theory of diminishing returns. Every single “unit” of some “good” that you use/eat/drink starts off by satisfying a need you have, but every extra unit is less satisfying. Eventually it can even go negative if you keep using it past the point of any need for it.
So, if you are really thirsty a glass of water tastes fantastic. But, the second glass is a little less great, the third is goodish, the fourth is meh, then you can’t bear any more. Your need has been satisfied, then exceeded, so your body switches down the satisfaction signals it gives you.
So the theory would suggest that if you have something really sweet or salty then your body may crave fresh water afterwards, so the glass you drink tastes great. Conversely, if you just drank a lot of water, something sweet or salty would go down really well.
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