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Do cameras distract you from the moment?

It turns out, taking photos of your food actually heightens enjoyment

From Yahoo! Finance:

“Watching moments unfold though a viewfinder may seem like a narrow, distracted point of view, but a new study suggests otherwise. People who take photos of their experiences actually enjoy them more, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

The research, [conducted by YCCI Fellow Gal Zauberman, along with Kristin Diehl (USC Marshall) and Alixandra Barasch (NYU Stern)], showed that in almost every instance, taking photographs heightened the overall enjoyment of the experience. Why? Researchers believe that taking photographs increases engagement. Participating instead of simply watching may seem like an obvious improvement, but earlier studies that were not centered on photography agree that engagement has a direct effect on enjoyment.

‘To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first extensive investigation examining how taking photos affects people’s enjoyment of their experiences. We show that, relative to not taking photos, photography can heighten enjoyment of positive experiences by increasing engagement’”