A systematic review of the relationship between taste and personality traits: Phenomena and possible mechanisms

Individuals exhibit variability in taste preferences, and personality plays a role in those variations. This study provides a comprehensive review of the relationship between taste preferences and personality traits, focusing on the five basic tastes (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami) and spiciness. Through a systematic review of the literature from the past 30 years, 24 of 2182 articles were selected using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis protocol. This review identifies stable associations between certain tastes and specific personality traits. For instance, a preference for sweetness is linked to neuroticism and agreeableness, whereas preferences for bitter and sour tastes are associated with antisocial personality traits, such as Machiavellianism. Spiciness preference is closely related to sensation-seeking, extraversion, and impulsivity. Additionally, this review explores the potential physiological and psychological mechanisms underlying these associations, including (1) the direct impact of personality factors, (2) the role of brain functions (e.g. the insula), (3) the embodied metaphor theory, and (4) the potential effects of eating behaviour on personality. Despite these findings, the reliability of existing research is limited by small sample sizes and inconsistent measurement tools. Future studies should expand the sample diversity, develop more standardised measurement instruments, and further investigate the long-term effects of taste preferences on personality traits. This review offers new insights into the complex relationship between taste and personality and provides insights for future research and practical applications in real life.