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Studies Link Taste to Personality

By Pamela Bump
A place setting.A white plate with an outline drawing of a brain, the outer plate edges drawings of brain foods.

When planning a dinner party, catering to the food preferences of many people can be taxing. But recent psychological research could make it easier to gauge taste buds and personalities at the same time.

When Does Taste Start?

Research suggests that humans can sense taste before birth. In the womb, a baby could experience flavor through amniotic fluid, while newborns are exposed to the taste of breast milk.

How Does Taste Develop?

As humans are drawn to familiar flavors, research suggests that early exposure to different tastes, specifically in childhood, is important in preventing picky eaters.

What Do Your Taste Buds Say About You?

Although your taste preference may come as a result of the environment you grew up in, your psyche could also play an important role. In fact, studies have positively linked personality traits to many major eating habits.

“9 Ways Personality Influences Your Taste Preferences” by Gina Roberts-Grey, MSN Lifestyle, msn.com, 8/14/15

“Individual Differences in Bitter Taste Preferences Are Associated with Antisocial Personality Traits” by Christina Sagioglou and Tobias Greitemeyer, Appetite, 9/25/15

"Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Broccoli-Haters" by Lisa Bramen, Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian.com, 5/7/10

“Sweet Taste Preferences and Experiences Predict Prosocial Inferences, Personalities, and Behaviors,” Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 8/29/11

“Your Love of Spicy Foods Means You're a Risk-taker, New Study Says” by Diane Mapes, NBC News, NBCNews.com, 8/6/13

Contributor

Pamela Bump

Pamela is the Audience Growth Manager for the HubSpot Blog and holds an M.S. in Media Ventures from Boston University. Before HubSpot, she was Taste for Life’s first Web Editor & Social Media Expert and Harvard Business Review’s first Growth Editor.  In her roles, she’s managed content strategy, social media, and audience growth tactics.

Although her career is focused on digital marketing and editorial innovation, she continues to write for TFL to quench her thirst for food blogging and health journalism.

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