We all have finicky friends who wrinkle their noses at sushi and consider pizza an exotic eat. Now there's a name for their cuisine-challenged condition: food neophobia, or anxiety over trying new foods.

Robert A. Frank, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Cincinnati, asked over 300 men and women to rate the smells of foodstuffs like canned asparagus while wearing a "sniffometer," a device which measures the depth of their nasal inhales. They then completed surveys rating their reactions to unfamiliar foods. Neophobics, or those deeming themselves hesitant to try new things, found the smell of strange foods less pleasant and tended to sniff with less vigor than their neophilic, or more culinarily adventurous, counterparts.

Scientists found no differences in the two groups' physical thresholds for intensity of smell and taste, so Frank contends that neophobia is a matter of attitude, not chemistry.

Neophobia is seen in many young animals learning to distinguish between edible and inedible substances. "It makes sense not to eat just anything," says Frank. But the ability to embrace new things is a key to gaining knowledge, he points out. If left unchecked, neophobia can limit dietary variety, depriving people of essential nutrients.

For that reason, says Frank, it's important for parents to foster kids' curiosity in cuisine. Picky eaters can benefit from repeated exposure to feared foods, but simply smelling or eyeing new foods won't work.

"It's a matter of trying them," says Frank. After all, many people reject foreign foods at first taste, but with time, the dishes become more pleasing to the palate.

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