There's a secret ingredient that can make anything you cook taste better: your favorite song.

• Scientists have discovered that what we hear while we eat can change the way our brains experience flavor.

Why it matters: Our brains don't experience sights, sounds and tastes in isolation. Instead, our senses are constantly working together to shape how we perceive the world.

🍽️ Zoom in: Researchers at the University of Copenhagen used brain scans to observe people tasting sweet and sour foods while listening to music.

• They found that listening while tasting activated certain parts of the brain more intensely than tasting alone.

💛 The intrigue: Researchers say the findings could have implications for people dealing with a range of health issues.

• Consider head and neck cancer patients who've lost some of their sense of taste, or people recovering from eating disorders who are working to rebuild their relationship with food. Music could potentially help make eating a more enjoyable experience for them.

The bottom line: Janice Wang, a co-author of the study, said in a release, "This tells us flavor is not simply a property of food. Flavor is an experience created by the brain."

This photo of mule deer at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park in Washington was taken by reader Bill Rapai of Grosse Pointe, Mich., a couple weeks ago.

• He writes: "That's the Olympic Mountain Range in the background. We had just completed hiking one trail when these guys showed up near the parking lot. I followed them for a while, keeping a respectful distance, to get an image where the background was not full of cars and asphalt. I got my chance when they headed up this incline and fell into single file — just for me!"