O blind taste test, how ye vex me

NPR covered the most recent of many blind test of violins. This time professional musicians tried to tell the difference between two Stradivari, a Guarneri, and three modern ones.

When Fritz asked the players which violins they'd like to take home, almost two-thirds chose a violin that turned out to be new. She's found the same in tests with other musical instruments. "I haven't found any consistency whatsoever," she says. "Never. People don't agree. They just like different things."

In fact, the only statistically obvious trend in the choices was that one of the Stradivarius violins was the least favorite, and one of the modern instruments was slightly favored.  

It's been done with vodka, wine, hi-fi speakers, and many other goods. And yet we still resist the idea that Smirnoff or Two Buck Chuck might be better than our beloved top shelf beauty.

There are, of course, cultural and social consequences of buying on the cheap. But what fascinates me is that we so quickly discount science to believe our investments weren't in vain and avoid the embarrassment of feeling like a sucker. Me included.