Gin and tonic
Lindy Alexander
Do you know anyone who loves a gin and tonic? (A ridiculous question, we know).
But what about black coffee? Or how about lovers of dark chocolate?
You may want to give them a wide berth because the science is in.
A study has found that people who like bitter foods and drinks are more likely to exhibit psychopathic, antisocial and sadistic personality traits.
Researchers working with the University of Innsbruck in Austria investigated 953 Americans’ taste preferences. The participants were asked questions about their partiality for sweet, sour, salty and bitter food and beverages. They also had to answer four different personality surveys that assessed antisocial personality traits such as psychopathy, narcissism, aggression and sadism.
And yes, you guessed it, the researchers say they found a relationship between an “increased enjoyment of bitter foods and heightened sadistic proclivities”.
In particular, according to the authors, “everyday sadism and trait aggression were significantly positively correlated, and agreeableness was significantly negatively correlated with general bitter taste preferences.”
These studies suggest that how much you like bitter-tasting foods and drinks is related to how dark your personality is, but before you tip your tonic down the drain, it’s worth noting a few things.
Firstly, the researchers warn that this kind of investigation looking at taste preferences and personality is in its infancy and while some connection has been established “evidence is still scarce”.
And secondly, some academics have taken umbrage at media reports labelling gin and tonic drinkers as psychopaths because there’s no evidence that individual preferences (like tonic water) have a relationship with psychopathy.  Rather, the research suggests that there is a slight positive relationship between psychopathy and a general penchant for bitter food and drinks.
So it seems gin and tonic lovers can breathe a sigh of relief, but just to be on the safe side, you can make mine a gin fizz.