Why are we so drawn to smoothie bowls?

Everyone is well aware that smoothie bowls are a instagram trend, but why are they so popular? What draws us to click on that like button so quickly?

Patterns:

Did you know we are instantly drawn to patterns? They appear in our everyday life and our brain is constantly searching for patterns because they have a soothing psychological effect on the viewer. Visual patterns are a great tool for artists as diverse patterns grab a viewers attention.

But what does this have to do with the smoothie bowl? Well, we all love a well designed pattern using the variety of fruits and other tasty treats. Now man-made patterns normally strive for perfection, for example using repetitive lines of fruit and other toppings create a strong perfect pattern, like we might see day to day on other man-made items. However, we also replicate patterns we see in nature, for example, the spirals that are constantly seen on shell fish are a popular style used by food stylists.

So, next time you are scrolling down your feed, try locating a sequence of patterns that the artist has created.

Vanilla and Mango Smoothie Bowl –

Smoothie:

1 cup frozen mango

1 banana

100g vanilla yogurt

Splash of oat milk

Toppings:

Granola

Goji Berries

Frozen Raspberries

Banana

Peanut butter smooth