Not as we learned: There is no taste map on the tongue

The article debunks the myth of the 'taste map of the tongue,' which divides the tongue into four separate taste zones. It explains that all taste buds can detect all tastes, and that the map originated from a misinterpretation of a 1901 study by David Hänig, distorted in 1942 by Edwin Boring. Despite repeated refutations, the myth persists in textbooks due to its simplicity.

The article debunks the common myth of the 'taste map of the tongue,' which divides the tongue into four separate areas for sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes. It explains that all taste buds (papillae) are capable of detecting all five basic tastes, including umami, and that the map originated from a misinterpretation of a 1901 study by German scientist David Hänig. Psychologist Edwin Boring redrew the data in 1942 in a normalized graph without clear units, leading to a misinterpretation of slight sensitivity differences as sharp boundaries. In 1974, Virginia Collings demonstrated that all tastes can be detected on all parts of the tongue, but the map had already become entrenched in textbooks worldwide. The article emphasizes that the myth survived not because of its accuracy, but because of its simplicity.

Not as we learned: There is no taste map on the tongue