Believe It Or Not, Love Can Change Your Taste For Food!
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When you are in love or you see people around you deep in love, what is the other word that comes into your life along with the word “love?” Are you thinking of the word “change?” Well, that’s no surprise at all! When you get attached to your significant other, start spending time with them or even start living in together with them, your everyday habits, your lifestyle — all of it gets a transformation whether you like it or not. You must’ve always thought on the lines of that there are many couples out there who start to look more alike, they act alike, right?
It is true — the longer you find yourself in a relationship with the same person, the more likely you get influenced by the things your partner does like or dislike about life. Your partner will introduce you to new lifestyle habits, music shows, new foods, and even television shows.
And we’re not just saying this, all of the above is something that a study says and this study is published in a journal called Appetite (1). Read on to know more about this study.
The Study
Researchers from two countries, Germany and Poland namely, conducted a survey that involved 100 heterosexual couples. These couples were either married or were in a relationship (both long term as well as short term). The couples chosen for the study were aged between 18 years to 68 years and were together between 3 months to 45 years respectively. And they were all studied based on taste and sniff tests. The sniff tests involved the couples to rate various kinds of smells, like that of eucalyptus, rose, smoked meat, leather, etc. And the taste tests were conducted with the researchers spiriting different flavors like salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami on the tongues of the couples. And the couples had to rate these tastes based on their likes and dislikes.
The Findings Of The Study
So what did the studies conclude at the end? It was found that couples who have been living or are in a relationship together for the longest period of time – their test results were similar. They rated the smells and taste almost alike. So, the longer one is with their significant other, the greater is the influence they have on each other concerning the taste and smell of food. And if you sit down and observe this study’s result out, you’ll realize how practically correct this is!
How Your Taste For Food Varies
We all are aware of the importance of compatibility in relationships, don’t we? It is extremely vital! Your needs and your partner’s needs need to find a level of balance with each other without involving too much of compromise in it. Have you ever wondered how important food compatibility is between your significant other and you? You could be a hardcore Punjabi who loves food dripping with butter and your partner might be a South Indian who loves only rice. So, how would you manage? We’re sure that in the beginning all newlyweds, as well as the just-into-a-relationship couples, are bound to have conflicts when it comes to narrowing on one food preference. However, with time, you’ll soon realize that every couple finds a midway to this food compatibility crisis. And they develop varying degrees of food tolerances and preferences together.
The Importance Of Smell In Love
While one might think that adapting to the significant other’s preference when it comes to food is the ideal way to make peace. There is a study that shows that if two people like similar smells, they are likely to be more compatible with each other when compared to a couple who like different smells. So, you know you’re likely to be best compatible with a person if both of you love similar smells (2).
A Shared Environment Greatly Influences Taste For Food
If you are just dating someone, it’s more likely that you are lesser influenced by your partner’s food preferences. This is because, while on a date at a restaurant, both of you might order different things and eat it. There isn’t any adjustment here, right?
But if you are living with your SO under the same roof, you end up sharing a lot of things, the sofa, the bathroom, the bed (wink wink), and of course, even your meals. Eating together in a shared environment exposes your partner and you to a similar gastronomical and olfactory stimuli — if this happens every single day, then it is going to shape both your preferences for smell and taste in a similar design.
However, It Might Not Hold True For All The Couples Out There
If you’re a Vegan and your SO is a hardcore non-vegetarian, both of you can never acquire a similar liking for food because of your extremely opposite food habits. The same goes for couples who follow different diets as well.
Who thought food also played a role in love, right? Have you changed your food preference for your partner? Let us know in the comments below.
