ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Health → Mind & Brain

The robust relationship between bitter foods and sadism

An unexpected correlation was discovered between the preference for bitter foods and everyday sadism an psychopathy, according to a new study published in the journal Appetite.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
October 15, 2015 - Updated on October 16, 2015
in Mind & Brain, News, Science
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

An unexpected correlation was discovered between the preference for bitter foods and everyday sadism, according to a new study published in the journal Appetite.

In two studies on 953 people, Christina Sagioglou and Tobias Greitemeyer from the University of Innsbruck in Austria investigated how bitter food preferences are associated with antisocial personality traits. They analyzed Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, everyday sadism, trait aggression, and the Big Five factors of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Volunteers self-reported their taste preference.

People who enjoy bitter foods like olives is associated to more sadistic behavior. Image via Morguefile.

The hypothesis behind this test was that everyone eats and drinks, but what we enjoy eating and drinking can reveal some of our personal traits, including complex phenomena such as morality and emotional distress. This is a tricky field of research, because inherently, the sense of taste is biased and individual. However, a preference for sweet taste has already been demonstrated in children and infants, and even studies on other animals have showed that usually, they prefer sweet foods. This carries an evolutionary advantage, because sweet foods generally have a higher nutritional value, while bitterness can be an indication of toxicity.

But humans love many bitter foods (some more than others). Could it be that the extent to which people learn to relish bitter substances is related to their personality?

They set out to test this, and the results came out positive – namely, there was a very good connection between bitterness preference and everyday sadism.

“The present research has demonstrated that bitter taste preferences are associated with more pronounced malevolent personality traits, especially robustly with everyday sadism. The sample was a large community sample, thereby representing a wide section of the population. In establishing a robust link between taste preferences and personality traits, this research reveals furtherreal-world behavioral correlates of antisocial personality traits.”

Of course, as we’ve said over and over, correlation does not imply causality – there may be another (or several other combined) facto working and causing both these predispositions.

You can read the entire study here.

RelatedPosts

“Walking pneumonia” is on the rise in China and we’re all just a bit anxious
Google’s AI algorithm could usher in new age of protein understanding
Hubble just found the most distant star ever discovered
China is building twice more wind and solar than the rest of the world combined

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Health

Tennis May Add Nearly 10 Years to Your Life and Most People Are Ignoring It

byTibi Puiu
1 day ago
Anthropology

Humans Have Been Reshaping Earth with Fire for at Least 50,000 Years

byTudor Tarita
1 day ago
Biology

The Strangest Microbe Ever Found Straddles The Line Between Life and Non-Life

byTudor Tarita
1 day ago
News

This $8750 Watch Was Designed for Space and Could Finally Replace Apollo-era Omega Watches

byTudor Tarita
1 day ago

Recent news

Tennis May Add Nearly 10 Years to Your Life and Most People Are Ignoring It

July 4, 2025

Humans Have Been Reshaping Earth with Fire for at Least 50,000 Years

July 4, 2025

The Strangest Microbe Ever Found Straddles The Line Between Life and Non-Life

July 4, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.