The bitter taste makes people more strict

When judging the virtue or morality of a fellow human being, people will be more strict if they drink bitter water.

(Illustration)

Kendall Eskine - a researcher from City University, New York City, USA - and colleagues asked 57 volunteers to assess people's morality in a series of unethical situations on a scale of 1 to 100 For example, among situations where a man eating a dog once lived with him for many years, a man who had an affair with his cousin's wife. The higher the score, the greater the immoral level of the character in the situation. Volunteers also state their political views (conservative or open), Newscientist said.

Just before volunteers assessed the situation, the team gave them a drink of a bitter, sweet or normal drink.

The results showed that those who drank bitter water had an average score of 27% higher than those who drank soft drinks and plain water. That means they are more rigorous in evaluating unethical behaviors. In addition, bitterness affects people with more conservative political views than people in an open view.

Scientists have not found a mechanism to link taste and behavior. But the team said it is very likely that the judge's judgment will change if they eat or drink something bitter before the trial. In addition, they guessed that political views could also be affected by bitter foods and drinks.