As if worrying about your clothes, car and living quarters weren’t enough, you should be well aware that you’re being judged on what you eat, too! Various polls and scientific studies have found that the food we eat often speaks to the people we are, reflecting our interests, activities and personality in ways that we would never expect.
Interested in knowing what the foods and dishes you prefer say about you? Read on!
1. Good Food = Good People
[showmyads] According to a study published in the scientific journal Appetite, people who eat “good” food – that is, healthy and generally light dishes – are perceived as being more friendly, more tolerant and more trustworthy than their counterparts who indulge in unhealthy food.
The study also found that people were often hyper-aware of the food they choose in social situations as they took into account the probable perceptions their choice of dish would generate.
2. Your Favorite Sandwich Speaks Volumes
According to a poll of nearly 3,000 Americans conducted by the Smell and Taste Treatment Foundation, the sandwich a person prefers speaks to their personality in big ways! Here are a few references from the study itself:
Club Sandwich: Lovers of the club sandwich tended to be honest, dependable and devoted to work and family.
Ham and Cheese Sandwich: Ham and cheese sandwich consumers polled in the study tended to be curious, having a wide range of interests and hobbies.
Tuna Salad Sandwich: Aggressive and very achievement-oriented, fans of the tuna salad sandwich were ranked as both the most competitive of those polled, and the most successful.
3. Where Do You Shop for Food?
Not only does what you eat speak to your persona, but so does where you shop for food as well! A 2008 study conducted by the Nielsen’s Online panel showed that, rather than choosing their locations and products in terms of age or economic position, people tended to shop based on their general worldview. For example, the study found that persons who shopped at organic grocery retailers or purchased mostly organic products from a traditional store were 153% more likely to be open to new experiences than those who didn’t, showing that generally liberal-minded people are more likely to take a green path in their food choices.
4. Pizzas and Relationships
A survey of 1,000 Chicago residents commissioned by Domino’s Pizza revealed that the pizza toppings you choose say enough about your personality to help prospective mates in finding an ideal partner. For example:
Single Topping: People ordering a single vegetable topping on their pizza tended to be fairly passive and easy going; conversely, people wanting a single meat topping were found to be cranky, irritable and generally pessimistic.
Multiple Toppings: Meat-eaters again proved to be more aggressive where the study of people ordering multiple pizza toppings was concerned: those ordering more than one meat topping caught labels like dramatic and extroverted while those ordering multiple veggie toppings were found to be introverted and typically loyal.
Conclusion
While the foods you eat don’t exactly present a gaping hole into your very soul, they certainly do reflect the larger trends to be found in one’s personality. Whether you want to get a read on a new friend or determine which co-worker might be a match made in heaven, paying attention to the dishes your associates enjoy definitely has the power to help you become a better people-reader!
Jessy is the health and wellness blogger for LifeInsuranceFinder, the free online tool to compare life insurance quotes online. Jessy also has a tiny personal website of her own here. You can also follow her ramblings on Twitter at @jessytroy
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