ANYONE who has ever tried to eat crisps in a cinema knows it’s almost impossible to do it quietly.

Noisy crisp packets may be the scourge of secret scoffers but there is a reason for that loud crackle – it makes you think the crisps are crunchier.

2 Crisp packets are designed to be loud for reasons of taste Credit: Getty - Contributor

According to a leading scientist, manufacturers deliberately make the packaging loud because the crisps taste fresher if you can hear the rustle.

In a “sonic taste” experiment, Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, got people to munch crisps while wearing headphones, so they couldn’t hear the crunch.

Many reported that the snacks tasted more stale and spongy when their ears were covered.

The professor concluded that sound, as well as smell, plays a huge part in our enjoyment of food.

He said: "The sound of the food matters. The sound of the packaging matters and atmospheric sounds matter.”

He found that the noisy crisp packet raises expectations about the taste experience to come.

2 The rustle of the crisp packet heightens expectations of what is to come Credit: Getty - Contributor

He wrote: “The sounds of the packaging in which a food is experienced – think the rattle of the crisps packet, or the pop of the champagne cork – can also influence our enjoyment of what comes next too.

“Whenever we hear the pop of the champagne cork, or the rattle of the crisp packet, certain expectations automatically come to mind.”

This effect, he believes, is something the crisp makers use to their advantage.

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He added: "There's no reason in terms of product preservation for the noisy packets.

"It must just be some marketing person who thought, 'It's a noisy food, it's got to have the right expectations for the packaging.'"

We recently revealed the shocking news that Pringles are only flavoured on ONE SIDE.

Also, there's a secret code on a Heinz ketchup bottle which helps you pour the sauce.