The psychology of taste may play a key role in how people perceive the taste of restaurant food.

Experts in nutrition and consumer behavior have long assumed that a person has a natural inclination to either like or dislike the taste of a particular food. However, new research is shedding light on the real possibility that the perception of taste, as well as feelings of guilt from overeating, can be manipulated by the price tag associated with the dish.

The study, which was overseen by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., a professor at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, and conducted by Ozge Sigirci, a researcher at Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, involved a team-up with an upstate New York Italian buffet that serves high-quality food. The goal was to determine whether or not price in fact affected customers’ perceptions of the taste of the food served.

A menu from an all-you-can-eat buffet was presented to 139 diners, with dishes priced either at $4 or $8. The customers were then asked to grade the food they ate based on a nine-point scale.

Patrons who paid the $8 fee for their meal rated their food higher up on the scale compared to those who paid $4 for the same food. In fact, those who were charged more reported enjoying their food an average of 11 percent more that the lower-paying group. In addition, customers who paid the $4 rate reported more frequent feelings of guilt and overeating.

“Simply cutting the price of food at a restaurant dramatically affects how customers evaluate and appreciate the food,” said Wansink in a statement.

The findings of the study were presented during the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting in San Diego on Apr. 29.