Drinking a cup of coffee in the morning is a universal daily gesture. It is also the second most consumed drink in the world.
Statistics reveal that 2.3 million cups of coffee are drunk every minute. France is rising to the rank of the seventh country that consumes the most coffee in the world. This year, 93% of households reported buying coffee, and 72% said they drink it daily. That said, coffee is not always consumed in the same way, some people prefer it rather milky, sparkling and creamy, while others consume it only black, intense, full-bodied and bitter.
A revealing study?
Many people consider that the only way to drink coffee is to eat it black and without sugar, to better appreciate its taste. However, two studies have been done on this subject by Christina Sagioglou, and Tobias Greitemeyer, two researchers at the Für Institute of Psychology, at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, have revealed some surprising information to say the least. To carry out their research, the scientists studied two samples of the American community. To do this, it was a question of identifying their taste preferences, then they were subjected to several personality tests assessing several disorders such as psychopathy, narcissism, sadism, and a questionnaire following the model of the five great personality factors in psychology.
Thus the hypothesis suggesting a link between bitter taste preferences and traits of malevolent, sadistic, and psychopathic personalities has been confirmed. The results had indeed demonstrated through these two samples that this hypothesis was positively associated with these disorders. The authors of these studies also claimed that through regression analysis they were able to conclude that sweet, salty, sour and bitter taste preferences were those that provided information about participants' personality.
However, this information to be taken with tweezers because these studies were only conducted on a sample of 1000 people in total, and the researchers found no evidence establishing a direct link between taste preferences and antisocial personality disorders.
Taste preferences and personality
Taste preferences develop during the first years of life, and evolve according to the experiences of each. Several receptors linked to each other, are responsible for identifying the latter. First, the olfactory receptors, which detect the aroma of the foods in question. Then, when the food is in contact with the inside of the mouth, it is the receivers taste, which are in the taste buds, on the tongue as well as the palate, which are in charge of the detection of the flavors. And finally, it is the receptors on the trigeminal nerve, which detects the temperature and texture of food. These three receivers therefore make it possible to identify whether or not you like the taste of food.
Understand the personality
Personality is a term that refers to the combination of behaviors, attitudes, and reactions of a person to a specific situation. These characteristics are specific to each individual and develop according to the lived experiences, as well as to the social and environmental factors to which the person has been exposed.
A link between the two?
Differences in preferences are specific to each individual; they are related to several factors, such as the environment, social and cultural factors, education, and to a lesser extent, taste receptors. These preferences identify which social group the person belongs to, and how their eating habits were conditioned when they were younger. Food says a lot about people's personalities, because it reveals in part the choice they make for their health in the long run. The taste to which they are accustomed are then unconscious indicators of some of their character traits. Impulsive cravings for certain specific foods are linked to the hormones that can fluctuate depending on the emotions felt.