The belief in “taste map” graphs, which suggested that different parts of the tongue were responsible for tasting sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavors, persisted for several reasons. Firstly, the idea originated from a misinterpretation of research conducted in 1901 by a German scientist named D.P. Hänig, whose findings were not correctly translated into subsequent studies. Hänig’s work depicted variations in taste sensitivity across different parts of the tongue, but it did not conclude that specific regions were exclusively responsible for specific tastes.
Later, in 1942, a Harvard psychologist named Edwin Boring misinterpreted Hänig’s findings. Boring’s misinterpretation was widely disseminated through textbooks and academic materials, reinforcing the incorrect concept. The graphs were visually simple and intuitive, which helped them become deeply ingrained in educational content and the popular imagination.
Additionally, the “taste map” oversimplified the complex topic of taste perception, making it easier for educators and students to understand and teach, despite its scientific inaccuracies. For many years, there was also a lack of simpler or better-understood models of taste perception, allowing the idea to prevail in lieu of more accurate explanations.
Advancements in our understanding of taste receptors, particularly the discovery that all taste types can be perceived by all areas capable of tasting, eventually corrected this misconception. Modern research confirms that taste receptor cells are broadly distributed across the tongue, and all taste modalities can be detected by taste buds in any region of the tongue, although some parts might be slightly more sensitive to certain tastes than others. Thus, the protracted belief in the “taste map” graph was a combination of historical misinterpretation, educational inertia, and the appeal of a simplistic model in teaching environments.
