Like Bitter Foods? You're Probably a Psychopath

Today, I've found even more proof that I'm probably a psychopath. Not only do I enjoy taking selfies, but I also love bitter foods like coffee. Yep, according to a new study published in the journal Appetite, there's a correlation between liking bitter foods and being a sadistic psychopath.

The study was conducted via Amazon's Mechanical Turk, an online platform that pays users to perform simple online tasks—tasks like filling out surveys about personality traits and food preferences.

The researchers took to Mechanical Turk twice, surveying almost 1,000 people in total. The participants completed multiple personality tests and rated their preferences regarding four different tastes: bitter, sweet, sour, and salty.

{{amazon name="The Psychopath Whisperer: The Science of Those Without Conscience", asin="0770435866", align="right"}} For bitter foods, the study included beer, celery, coffee, radishes, and tonic water. At the end of the study, researchers determined that liking bitter foods can be a "robust predictor for Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and everyday sadism."

The study sums up the findings well, noting "the results suggest that how much people like bitter tasting foods and drinks is stably tied to how dark their personality is." Researchers also found that people who had an affinity for bitter foods were less agreeable than those who liked sweets.

So there you have it, folks. If you enjoy bitter beers or can't get enough coffee in the morning (like me), you are probably a cold, heartless human-being.

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