Diet and Personality (Adult Population)

The CNP Diet and Personality Research Category consolidates research exploring the interdependent relationship between dietary intake and personality. To view each original study on the open internet, click “Original.” To view the CNP-written abstract summary, click “CNP Summary.” While only some of the CNP-written abstract summaries are available below for free, all abstract summaries are available to CNP members through the CNP Library Membership.

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FEATURED CNP RESEARCH SUMMARY

What is the link between personality and food behavior?

This 2022 article discusses the connection between personality traits, taste perception, and food behavior. Several personality characteristics have already been linked with several aspects of taste and smell. Personality traits are particularly associated with the ability to identify specific smells and aspects of flavor perception. A person’s openness to new experiences has also been related to a preference for spicy and salty food, and possibly a preference for crunchy, sour, and bitter foods/drinks. Moreover, anxious people appear to enjoy a much narrower range of foods. Other relationships have been identified involving taste, including a bidirectional correlation with mood. Furthermore, certain personality-based differences in taste/flavor perception and food behavior have been associated with varying levels of neurotransmitters and hormones in the body. This study highlights the current evidence on the connections between personality traits and taste perception/food behavior.

RESEARCH SUMMARIES

Adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern and personality in patients attending a primary health center