Black Coffee? You’re Probably a Dangerous Psychopath
Black coffee drinkers, beware: according to science, your coffee choice says more about you than you think. Are you firmly team black, no frills? Then you might just have some dark traits, according to a striking study from Austria. Ready to discover your inner psycho—or breathe a sigh of relief?
The link between taste preferences and personality
The scientists were looking for a link between taste preferences and personality. They investigated what almost a thousand people like to eat, and used surveys to determine which personality traits their subjects had. Conclusion: people who like bitter flavors are more likely to have malicious traits.
They are more sadistic, antisocial and even downright psychopathic than average. These personality traits are much less common among people who prefer salty, sweet or sour flavors.
Angry about broccoli
The scientists did not investigate the causes of the link between taste preference and personality. Do people become psychopaths if they drink a lot of black coffee? Do they develop sadistic traits if they have to eat Brussels sprouts, chicory or broccoli? And in case you were wondering: almost half of the subjects were women, so that whole “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” thing isn’t the explanation either.
Fifty shades of grey
Incidentally, in this context, sadism has nothing to do with Fifty Shades of Grey-style preferences. It concerns people who display hurtful and humiliating behavior in ordinary situations. Insulting people, getting angry quickly and being nasty for no reason are considered sadistic behavior. Antisocial behavior is behavior that goes against generally accepted norms and values.
Mean colleague
Ha, this explains so much! The colleague who did nothing but criticize your PowerPoint? People who board the train before others have got off? Types who film and take photos at a concert even though they know everyone there is bothered by it? Completely blowing their top when the server doesn’t bring their sandwich quickly enough? It’s all because of black coffee.
So: the next time someone looks at you strangely because you drink your coffee black, you can simply look them straight in the eye and say: “I just like pure flavors. That’s it.” Or… maybe add a splash of milk after all, just to be safe. 😉
