Are you a chip n dip or chocolate person? Or do you feel the need to make every home-cooked meal spicy?
The answers to those questions can reveal clues about your personality.
Flavor, texture and satiety are inextricably linked to the pleasure centers of our brains, something we are increasingly discovering with the launch of Ozempic.
Several scientific studies have investigated the personality traits associated with different snacks and other foods, and found surprising associations.
Impulsive people crave salt
Salty snacks like pretzels and potato chips are associated with impulsivity.
If you crave salty foods like pretzels, chips, or peanuts, you may be an impulsive person looking for new experiences.
That’s the good news; The bad news is that people with this “novelty seeking” personality trait may also be prone to taking risks and losing their temper.
Research conducted in 2008 suggested that people who like salty foods are likely to be “novelty seekers.”
The researchers questioned 150 participants about their food preferences and asked them to take a standard personality test.
The researchers wrote: ‘Interesting relationships were revealed in terms of temperamental personality and taste preferences.
“For example, participants high in novelty seeking showed a strong preference for salty flavors.”
Spice lovers and meat lovers are fun to be around.
A preference for spicy foods may mean you have a thrill-seeking personality.
Thrill seekers tend to opt for spicy snacks.
Interestingly, the same is true if you’re drawn to meaty snacks, according to the Japanese study.
In the 1988 study, 105 students took a food questionnaire and a personality questionnaire.
The researchers found “significant, positive correlations” between people who liked spicy foods, meats and alcoholic beverages, and high scores on the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS).
The researchers found that there were also correlations with thrill-seeking, adventure, and experience.
Sweet over salty? You’re probably insecure
People who crave chocolate and sweet things tend to seek the approval of others, depending for example on the approval of a social group.
People who crave chocolate tend to rely more on the reward
This, known as “reward dependence,” is sometimes linked to depressive disorders and addiction.
More optimistically for chocolate fans, people who like chocolate (as well as coffee and tea) tend to be adventurous, according to 2006 research.
People who ‘sensation seekers’ tend to consume more products such as coffee, tea and chocolate (as well as having a higher caffeine intake).
If you eat fruit you are an open book
According to 2017 research, people who snack on fruits and vegetables instead of fast or processed foods tend to be more “open” to new experiences.
Open people tend to be imaginative, creative and insightful.
Do you usually opt for fruit snacks?
People who scored high on openness ate 4.5 servings of fruits and vegetables combined per week.
Study author Professor Tamlin Conner from the University of Otago said: “People who are open to new experiences and crave variety are likely to extend those same attitudes towards food – their personality may make them more eager to try new fruits and vegetables, or who are brave enough. continue experimenting with those you initially don’t like.”
If you like biltong, beef jerky or other unusual snacks
If you’re an adventurous eater who can’t resist trying strange or unusual snacks (or you’re the guy who always eats “that” weird starter menu item), you may tend to be more health conscious than average.
Eating biltong could mean you’re healthier
Are you craving jerky?
Research conducted in 2015 found that people who seek novelty (known as “neophiles”) tend to have a health-focused outlook on life.
They also tend to be more fond of cooking foods associated with their own heritage.
Interestingly, people who are dietary “neophiles” are also likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI).
If you like very dark chocolate or sprouts
If you like bitter snacks like dark chocolate, blueberries, or coffee beans, you may be a psychopath, science has shown.
The affinity for bitter flavors is linked to the personality traits of the so-called “dark triad,” which include self-obsessed narcissists, scheming Machiavellians, and amoral psychopaths.
Are you craving very dark chocolate?
A study by psychologists at the University of Innsbruck in Austria found a connection between a penchant for bitter-tasting foods and drinks, such as coffee, and certain negative personality traits.
The findings suggest that people who prefer bitter flavors are more likely to exhibit narcissistic, sadistic and manipulative tendencies, as well as a willingness to cause harm to others.
The research team conducted interviews with a total of 1,000 participants, including university students and people serving prison sentences. t
According to the researchers, this study provides “the first empirical evidence that bitter taste preferences are related to malevolent personality traits.”
The researchers wrote: “General bitter taste preferences emerged as a strong predictor of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and everyday sadism.”