Music may be the food of love, but Mozart, Bach and Beethoven could also burn a nasty hole in your pocket, an investigation suggests. Scientists have found that classical music at restaurant makes guests feel more prosperous and encourages them to spend more money. The less advanced notes of Britney Spears as background music, for example, indicated that people spent about 10 percent less on their meals on average.

Listening to classical music

Researchers at the University of Leicester found that classical music, often associated with abundance, was most successful in encouraging people to give up their money. When no music was played, the amount of money spent on restaurant was dramatically less. The spending tests, conducted over three weeks, monitored the effects of classical music, pop music and background silence. The researchers found that when subtle classical melodies were played, dinners spent on average more per capita eating and drinking. When pop music was played, every dinner spent less and without any background music, spending dropped even more drastically. 

Dr. Adrian North, associate professor of psychology at the university:

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