Like Rocky Road? Well, You're A Jerk: Ice Cream Decodes Personality Traits
Your favorite ice cream may represent more than a delicious treat and easy way to stay cool. It could explain why people think of you as a loving, supportive friend or why you're argumentative and a penny pincher.
This is according to a new study from Baskin Robbins and Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist at Rush University in Chicago and expert in how taste preferences dictate human choices.
In celebration of National Ice Cream month, the two teamed up to examine the relationship between personality traits and ice cream flavors.
Adults between the ages of 18 to 65 from across the U.S. were asked to five standard psychiatric and personality tests: the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), Beck Depression Inventory, Zung Anxiety, and Zung Depression test batteries.
Psychiatric descriptions from the DSM-IV — the American Psychiatric Association's official diagnostic manual — were compared to each individual's ice cream proclivities.
In the end, being a fan of Rocky Road didn't mean that you were jerk, but it reflected a tendency to be aggressive, engaging, and a good listener. Love strawberry? Well, you must be tolerant, devoted, and an introvert.
"We uncovered quite a few surprising findings when investigating what a person's favorite ice cream flavor says about their personality," said Hirsch. "For instance, we found that people who prefer Rainbow Sherbet are more pessimistic than you would think, in spite of the flavor's bright taste profile, and that those who prefer Rocky Road are actually very good listeners."
So... what's your favorite flavor?
Source: Baskin Robbins.