You are ‘how’ you eat

New research has revealed that as a nation, we are guilty of a multitude of food faux-pas; from pinching food off our partners’ plates (25%), to picking out the bits we don’t like with our fingers (one in five).

But its not just manners that are on display when we are eating! The Plate Psychology research has shown that you can tell a great deal about someone’s personality with every mouthful they take.

The study carried out by restaurant chain Beefeater, has revealed that we can be characterised by our eating habits into personality groups; from those of us who mistrust our dinner guests and so eat quickly in a battle of ‘survival’, to people whose organisation and intelligence means they eat every part of their meal in a specific order!

Leading psychologist Corinne Sweet has identified a number of different personality groups, including:

1. Speedy Eaters

One in six (15%) of us admit to rushing our food, but its not just hunger driving us to eat everything as fast as we can. It also shows a lack of trust towards others at the table. So if your dinner date is gobbling down their dinner at the speed of lightening, then they are protecting themselves as well as their food from potential predators close by (the likelihood is a character trait derived from living amongst a big brood of brothers and sisters during their childhood, all fighting for the biggest slice of cake).

2. Extrovert Eaters

If your dinner partner is a messy eater, then you are in for a fun time. People who are untidy eaters are often more comical and extroverted, probably because like the other 60% of Brits in this category, they are too busy trying to entertain everyone at the table than concentrate on what’s on the plate in front of them.

3. Methodical Munchers

It’s not just about eating ‘brain food’ but how you eat it which shows intelligence. People who tend to eat methodically (over 1 in 10 of us), for example all of their peas, then all of their meat and finally all of their potatoes, are likely to be smarter and more academic. So if you are interviewing over lunch, keep an eye on how your candidate approaches their appetisers, and not just the answers they give you.

4. Impetuous Indulgers

The 47% of people (more often males at 53%) who admit to eating everything put in front of them, including the salad garnish, pizza crust and every last drop of sauce are similar to ‘hunter gatherers’ from Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Their natural instincts kick-in at meal times programming them to seek out nutrients from all sources.

For more information go to beefeater.co.uk.