A willingness to try new foods makes you seem sexier and more desirable, according to study

Apparently, “picky eating” is a turn off.

According to a new study published in Personality and Individual Difference, reluctance to try new food is seen as “unsexy” while an adventurous palette actually increases one’s “sexual desirability.”

That said, this isn’t a particularly new finding. Preferences have historically been associated with stereotypes, subconscious or otherwise: Previous research found that people view vegans and vegetarians as “less masculine” than those who eat meat. Hannah K. Bradshaw, a psychology professor at Washington & Jefferson College and lead author of the study, was inspired to investigate the phenomenon even further.

“I was talking with a group of friends, and someone mentioned having dated a person who didn’t like to try new foods and only ate things like chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese,” Bradshaw told PsyPost. “I noticed that people seemed to think this was an undesirable quality in a dating partner. This led me to wonder whether one’s willingness to try new food provides cues to mating-relevant characteristics.”

With that in mind, Bradshaw’s first study examined students’ responses to randomly assigned descriptions of members of the opposite sex, who were either eager or hesitant to try new foods. Those who were willing to experiment in the dining room were repeatedly rated as “more desirable” sexual and romantic partners.

In three follow-up studies, participants rated various people based on their (fake) online dating profiles, and the pattern from the first inquiry remained the same: People who were amenable to different dishes were perceived as overall more sexual, likely to have had a great number of past romantic partners, more willing to partake in uncommitted sexual partnership, and less likely to feel “disgusted” by sex (and therefore, more unrestricted in the bedroom).

Oddly, participants did not have the same reaction to those who were willing to try new things in general, like books and music — the sexual desirably is seemingly only in response to one’s enthusiasm for eclectic cuisine.

“Our results show that people use information about one’s willingness to try new foods when making judgments about important mating-relevant characteristics,” Bradshaw said. “That is, people view those who are willing to try new foods as more desirable and less sexually restricted than those who are reluctant to try new foods. Essentially, one’s willingness to try new food plays a role in the impressions formed by prospective dates and mates.”

Bon appétit!