What Your Favorite Flavor Says About You

by Diana Stanczak  

Maybe you really are what you eat. People who have sweet tooth's are more likely to lend a hand and be cooperative, finds new research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Researchers had 55 college students answer questions about their personality and also rate how much they liked 50 different foods broken up into the five major flavor profiles: spicy, salty, bitter, sour, and sweet. Those who rated the sweet foods higher had a higher level of agreeableness.

In another study the same researchers found that when the students were given a sweet food like chocolate milk over a plain cracker or no food, they were more willing to volunteer their time for a professor.
It's not the first time scientists have found a link between flavor preferences and personality.

Can't keep your hand out of the cookie jar? Drool at the thought of a juicy ribeye? Here's what it all means:






In the new study, participants who ate something sweet were more willing to volunteer their time than their sugar-free counterparts.






Can't put down the sriracha? You may be a thrill-seeker, according to a study from Penn State. Students who scored high on a risk-taking behavior test also reported enjoying spicy flavors, while those who generally played it safe were more cautious about their food choices.






Foods composed of fat and protein spark your evolutionary craving for sustenance, but also trigger a social cue in your mind, according to researchers at Monell Chemical Senses Center. Since hearty meals are usually enjoyed with friends or family, the scent of bacon frying triggers memories of good times.






Water attracts salt, so those who crave it are literally more likely to "go with the flow," according to researchers at the University of Natural Medicine. Take this with a grain of salt, though; too much sodium is associated with high blood pressure levels.






Researchers at the City University of New York found that bitter tastes are linked with harsher judgement. When people were asked to give their opinions on certain scenarios after sipping either a bitter drink or water, the first group was 27 percent tougher in its assessment than those who had H2O. Skip the cranberry juice at your next happy hour to view your surroundings in a sweeter light.