What Your Food Habits Say about Your Personality

Amy Taylor July 30, 2015

We all love food. Most of us have all sorts of food images on their Facebook walls and Instagram. From our morning colourful cereal to our ‘low-calorie’ vegetable salad dinner, we just can’t get enough of food. We live in a society that is obsessed with food. Most of us even travel the world in search for some peculiar cuisines to satisfy our taste buds.

Did you know that our love of foods can tell something about our personality too?

Spicy Food for Thrill-Seekers

In 1970s, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania argued that the reason why people enjoy the burning sensation of spicy food is the same reason why some people enjoy potentially dangerous activities. A more recent study, published in 2012 and carried out by researchers from University of Rochester, found that thrill seekers handle spicy food much better than other people.

Secret Snacking for Emotional People

A recent survey among British women suggests that six in ten women said they often sneakily eat certain foods as they know they shouldn’t be eating them. One in ten are so eager to keep their bad habits a secret that they eat in the toilet, but 28 per cent said anywhere private would do. While emotional eaters tend to use food as a coping mechanism, those who tend to be more in touch to their emotions tend to have a dirty little secret with food.

Fruits and Veggies for Contentious People

According to a 2006 study published in the State University of New York showed that conscientious people tended to eat more fruit and vegetables, and choose overall healthier meals. Meanwhile, extroverts were shown to be more prone to risky behaviour and bad food choices.

Comfort Food for the Extroverts

Research published in the journal Appetite found that extroverts have an affinity towards fatty, savoury and sweet foods, as well as sugary soft drinks. For instance, they eat out more frequently and engage in group activities where high-calorie foods abound.

Extra calories for People-Pleasers

Numerous studies have shown that people adjust their intake directly to that of their eating companions; they eat more when others eat more, and less when others inhibit intake. And according to a 2012 study published in the journal Plos One, this can be explained by a psychological phenomenon called’ behavioural mimicry’. But it’s not just about mimicking friends. Another study carried out by Case Western Reserve University in the same year found that people-pleasers tend to overeat in social situations in an attempt to keep others comfortable.

These are just a few of the numerous interesting studies that highlight the link between our personality and food habits. They help us understand why we are drawn to certain foods, and come up with better ways to improve our diet.