Study: What your snacking habits say about your personality

In the morning we have sweet spreads on our bread, later we want to overcome our midday slump with a sugary snack, in the afternoon there is a chocolate biscuit next to the coffee cup and popcorn is a must for a cozy movie night. We notice that sweets are an integral part of our everyday diet, at least that is the case for many people. And the rest of us will probably give in to the heavenly smelling cinnamon stars in winter or a refreshing scoop of ice cream in summer. Or at the next birthday, when Aunt Emmi bakes her incredibly delicious cheesecake again.

Why is it so hard for us to resist sweets? It may be due to our personality. This is the result of a recent study by researchers led by Brian Meier from Gettysburg College and Michael Schaefer from the Medical School Berlin.

This is what your snacking behavior says about your personality

In the Journal of Research in Personality, the scientists share their results: people with a pleasant personality have a particular preference for sweets, while this does not seem to be as pronounced in people with less friendly personalities. This is at least what can be deduced from the samples from the USA, Mexico, China and Germany. The effect occurred across cultures, even if it was not particularly high.

What could be the explanation for this connection between sweet-snack behavior and personality? The researchers are trying to explain it as follows: In all the cultures studied, "sweet" means something good. Agreeable people are also "good", hence "sweet" - and because people are attracted to what corresponds to their personality, they particularly like sweet things.

Sounds plausible, but somehow not entirely valid, at least in my opinion. Can it really be generalized like that? Perhaps the observation that has been held against me since childhood also plays a role: when my blood sugar is low, I get grumpy - so according to outsiders, I am a nicer person when I eat sweets. The researchers also emphasize once again that other factors must of course be taken into account than the connection between "sweet" and "good".

Conclusion

But before we all eat sweets because we're nice people, be careful. Because too much sugar can be very harmful and can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among other things. So it's important to always make sure you eat a balanced amount and incorporate healthy snacks into your everyday life.

Brigitte

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