One’s personality plays a large role in daily decisions, including the consumer goods they purchase. If you know someone well enough, you could probably guess what outfit they would buy from a store or which car they would choose from the lot. But, thinking of their personality alone, could you guess what beer said person likes to drink?
Previous studies have revealed a connection between food liking and personality, such that high-sensation-seeking individuals enjoy spicy food. Now, new research from Penn State’s Sensory Evolution center expands on this notion—in relation to beer.
The study, published in Food Quality and Preference, says people who are prone to taking risks are more likely to prefer bitter, pale ale-style beers. The findings are in opposition to previously established research that indicates greater perceived bitterness leads to decreased intake of bitter foods and drinks.
“Traditionally, most researchers find that people who experience bitterness more intensely avoid bitter food or drink—so with heightened bitterness, they like it less, and therefore consume it less,” said John Hayes, associate professor of food science at Penn State and co-author of the paper. “But here, we find that people who seek higher sensations and are more risk-taking, they like bitter beer such as India pale ales if they also have greater bitter taste perception.”
For the study, the researchers presented 109 chosen beer consumers with Budweiser (a lager beer), Founder's All-Day IPA Session Ale (moderately bitter ale), and Troeg's Perpetual IPA Imperial Pale Ale (strongly bitter ale). In blind laboratory conditions, the participants rated their liking and intensity of all three beers, as well as two other bitter solutions—quinine, which is used to make tonic water, and Tetralone, a hops extract.
Ultimately, a combination of intensity ratings, liking ratios, personality questionnaires and regression models revealed the enjoyment of bitter pale ales increased with sensation-seeking traits—but only if quinine bitterness was also high.
“Intake models showed increased odds of frequent pale-ale intake with greater quinine bitterness and lower liking for lager beer. These data suggest liking and intake of pale ales is positively related to sensation seeking and bitter taste perception,” said lead author Molly Higgins, who will receive her doctoral degree in food science this August. “Our data contradict the classic view that bitterness is merely an aversive sensation that limits intake.”
Better understanding of the relationship between personality traits and the liking of bitter foods and beverages has implications beyond just alcohol/beer. The researchers say the findings could be applied to practices targeted at decreasing unhealthy alcohol consumption and behaviors. More broadly, the study’s results could inform new strategies that promote consumption of healthy bitter foods, like brussels sprouts, kale and green tea.
Photo: A lager beer and two pale ale-style beers were chosen as test stimuli. The specific beer samples were selected by research staff following benchtop tasting of various commercial pale ale-style beers sold in Pennsylvania. Credit: Molly Higgins, Penn State