title: Bitter taste causes hostility.
abstract: The present research tested the novel hypothesis that bitter taste increases hostility. Theoretical background formed the intimate link of the taste-sensory system to the visceral system, with bitter intake typically eliciting a strong aversion response. Three experiments using differential bitter and control stimuli showed that hostile affect and behavior is increased by bitter taste experiences. Specifically, participants who consumed a bitter (vs. control) drink showed an increase in self-reported current hostility (Experiment 1), in hypothetical aggressive affect and hypothetical aggressive behavior (Experiment 2) and in actual hostile behavior assessed using a well-established method for non-physical laboratory aggression (Experiment 3). Furthermore, the effect occurred not only when participants were previously provoked (Experiments 2 and 3) but also when no provocation preceded (Experiment 1 and 3). Importantly, stimulus aversiveness and intensity did not influence the effects observed, ruling them out as explanations. Alternative interpretative frameworks and limitations are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Innsbruck, Austria christina.sagioglou@uibk.ac.at.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sagioglou
authors.affiliation: University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Greitemeyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001628:Beverages; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aggressive affect; bitter taste; hostility; provocation; taste–affect nexus