With gin and tonic, that's one thing: some love the bitter taste of the trend long drink, others find it much too bitter. But gin and tonic can do more than just split your mind: According to a new study, it tells you a lot about your intelligence, how bitter you rate the taste of the drink. The surprising conclusion: The size of the brain determines how bitter we find food.
The brain controls taste
For the study, over 1,600 American and Australian subjects should be Try sweet and bitter drinks and evaluate the taste of the sample. Tonic water was used for the bitter samples – because it contains quinine, among other things. "Quinine is a key component in tonic water and is widely used to assess people's response to a bitter taste," writes Dr. Daniel Hwang of the University of Queensland in a press release.
After the taste test, the brains of the participants were measured in an MRI scan. It was noticed: The subjects who classified the tonic water as less bitter had a larger brain than those who described the taste as very bitter. "Whether you enjoy tonic water or not, people with larger brains usually find it less bitter," summarizes Dr Hwang. And, according to the researchers, a larger brain is a factor for higher intelligence.
Better nutrition as a goal
"Our study is a step towards understanding exactly how the brain perceives taste," the researcher continued. New findings of this kind are intended to improve people's nutritional behavior and simplify the treatment of eating disorders.