I love my coffee with a dash of cream and hint of sugar, but over the years, I've forced myself to learn to enjoy black coffee because it's healthier.
However, there's a group of researchers who argue that my love for coffee without additions may reveal an aspect of my personality that I may have never thought about.
According to a study from the University of Innsbruck in Austria, people who prefer their coffee black are more likely to be psychopaths or have sadistic tendencies.
Psychologists Christina Sagioglou and Tobias Greitemeyer, the study's lead authors, surveyed more than 1,000 participants about their flavor preferences based on a scale that measured sweet, sour, salty and bitter. They were also asked to take four different personality tests to assess their Machiavellian traits such as psychopathy, narcissism, sadism, and aggression.
The results, which were published in the journal Appetite, indicated that there is a strong correlation between individuals who exhibit antisocial traits and strong bitter tastes, which includes black coffee, beer, tonic water and radishes.
Those who enjoyed these bitter beverages and food were also found to enjoy inflicting pain on other people to a certain degree.
As you may have already assumed, those on the opposite end of the spectrum who prefer their cup of Joe to be sweet are more likely to be "agreeable" and easily show sympathy, kindness, and cooperativeness.
Interestingly enough, Sagioglu and Greitemeyer also observed that the psychopathic tendencies of those who enjoy bitter flavors could worsen over time and "become chronic."
Despite there being a correlation, the researchers have yet to find what causes the link, but it's not far-fetched to assume that a person's past experiences and environment can play a role in their taste preferences.
Bitterness, like all other tastes, is subjective, so what you may consider bitter may not be the same to someone else.
So before you start judging other people's coffee preferences, keep in mind that while many of those who like black coffee have shown psychopathic tendencies, not all psychopaths like black coffee.
It's always good idea to look at an individual's overall behavior and other traits before coming to a conclusion.
