If you venture into the snack cupboard, do you reach for a packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate?
According to a new study, your answer could reveal a lot about your personality.
Researchers surveyed people in China, Germany, Mexico and the United States about their snack choices, as well as their key characteristics.
Their analysis revealed that, in all four countries, people with a sweet tooth tended to be more agreeable.
The findings could explain why we tend to describe nice people as “sweet,” according to the Gettysburg College team.
“The association between agreeableness and the preference for a sweet taste coincides with terms that are sometimes used to describe kind and friendly people, as well as people we love in some cultures (for example, “sweet,” “honey,” or “honey”),” the researchers wrote.
Previous studies have found a link between a preference for sweet foods and agreeableness.
However, until now, it is unclear whether or not this link applies across different cultures.
If you venture into the snack cupboard, do you reach for a packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate? According to a new study, your answer could reveal a lot about your personality (file image)
Writing in his study, published in the Personality Research MagazineThe team, led by Brian P Meier, wrote: “Although studies have found an association between preferences for sweet flavors and agreeableness, previous work has focused on samples in the US.
“This association may or may not occur in multiple cultures.”
The team recruited a total of 1,629 participants: 373 from China, 471 from Germany, 400 from Mexico and 399 from the United States.
First, participants completed a survey to assess their levels of the “Big Five” personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism.
Next, they completed a “sweet taste preference scale.”
‘(This) has ten items (candy, caramel, chocolate cake, honey, ice cream, maple syrup, pears, raisins, strawberries and sugar) for which people rate their preference using a 1 (I don’t like it very much) to 6 (I like it a lot). ) scale,” the researchers explained.
Participants were also asked to rate their preferences for sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy foods.
The results revealed that, among participants from all four countries, agreeableness was “significantly and positively” correlated with sweet taste preferences.
The results revealed that, among participants in all four countries, agreeableness was “significantly and positively” correlated with sweet taste preferences (file image)
“The results of this project suggest that the link between agreeableness and sweet taste preference extends across cultures that vary greatly in social values, norms, customs, languages and places,” the researchers said.
The team emphasizes that the metaphors of sweetness are universal.
“Eating sweets is a universally pleasurable experience, more so than other types of flavors,” they added.
‘Furthermore, being kind and caring appears to be an evolutionary adaptation for both individuals and societies compared to traits such as conscientiousness or openness.
“The universal occurrence of these metaphors and preferences for sweet food and kind, caring people suggests that sweet taste experiences might be an appropriate perceptual experience for conceptualizing more abstract concepts such as kindness.”