Ah, another day, another study. This is one that will not only leave you scratching your head but examining your habits and the habits of those closest to you – with a suspicious eye.

Roughly 1,000 American adults participated in a study that looked at taste preferences and social behaviors. If you have a hankering for black coffee, it could mean that you are psychotic who also relishes in a side of sadism. Could is the key word here.

Researchers from the University of Innsbruck in Austria found that those subjects who preferred bitter tastes over sweet exhibited “malevolent personality traits” that included narcissism, psychopathy, and aggression.

They arrived at their findings by using two studies that collected self-reported information via questionnaires such as those based on taste preferences, aggression (Buss-Perry), sadism, and a Dark Triad gauge.

Behavioral and personality commonalities were found between those who preferred foods and drinks that rated highly on the bitterness scale (i.e. black coffee, tonic water) and disagreeable natures.

Their moods, emotions, and behaviors seemed to line up with things that were bitter and sour, whereas those who preferred sweet-tasting items had a more “agreeable” disposition and set of behaviors.

The researchers shared that there are limitations in the results based on how people categorize their feelings towards certain foods, the sample population self-reporting, and other factors such as genetic causes of taste preferences.

However, they also believe that the conclusion clearly demonstrates the correlation between highly pronounced bitter personalities and bitter taste preferences. Feast on that.

Let us know what you think about this study. Do you find this association to be true?