Adventurous People Might Be Healthier Than The Rest Of Us

Scientists may have evidence that our personality plays into our eating habits. People who are open and extroverted eat more fruits and vegetables than others, according to new research. The new report, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, analyzed the eating habits of more than 1,000 young adults ages 17 to 25. Researchers gave participants a test to measure for the “Big Five” personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Then they assigned some participants to keep a food diary for 21 days and others for 13 days, in hopes of encouraging more people to complete the task. Participants who scored higher than average for openness (the preference for new experiences and variety) ate about 4.5 more servings of combined fruit and veggies per week than their less open peers. They also consumed less unhealthy food, such as potato chips or fries. Extroversion also had a positive effect on fruit and veggie consumption, though not as strongly as openness did, while conscientiousness was a weak predictor of produce consumption. Of course, the study only found an association between the characteristic and eating habits, rather than a direct causation, meaning there’s just a general relationship between the two factors. But it still provides some insight into how behavior can affect choices. It’s likely that people who are open to new experiences and crave variety ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news