With Whom The Popsicle - Reviews

Research psychologists love to use ice cream in experiments because it's easier to get people to participate. Indeed, who among us would refuse to participate in an experiment in which you are asked to eat as much ice cream as you like?

The treat is known to melt in your mouth, which makes it a good candidate for a functional CT scan where you don't want to move your head. A functional tomograph measures the flow of blood to certain regions of the brain, and also determines the degree of activity - the more blood (and therefore energy and oxygen) enters the region, the more active it is.

Scientists at the London Institute of Psychiatry scanned people's brains while spoon-feeding them vanilla ice cream. It turned out that the orbitofrontal cortex was activated almost instantly. This region of the brain does not respond to ordinary food or habitual events and is activated only when people enjoy listening to music, or find out that they have won the lottery, or received a desired declaration of love. It is a pure sense of happiness.

As scientists from the University of Würzburg (Germany) have shown, when we experience strong emotions (no matter sadness or joy), our brain does not “understand” the fat content of food. Therefore, when we are sad, we can quietly eat a whole bucket of ice cream. This should be taken into account by those who monitor their weight. But these same strong emotions help the brain to distinguish between sweet, sour and bitter 15% better than in the normal state.

Starch is almost always added to ice cream for texture. And saliva contains amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into simple sugar compounds. The more amylase is produced, the faster the starch-containing product will turn into a more liquid formulation with sugar. Genetic studies in recent years have shown that salivary amylase production can vary significantly in humans. Therefore, the same product can be perceived differently: for some, the texture is full and creamy, while for others it is sticky and watery. So our preferences for certain types of ice cream may depend on the amount of starch in it and the amount of amylase we produce. What kind of ice cream do you like?

Alan Hirsch, head of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, says our choice of ice cream has a lot to say about ourselves. The study participants were asked to choose their favorite treat, after which they were subjected to a number of psychological tests designed to assess personality.

Using the example of Baskin Robbins ice cream varieties, Alan Hirsch revealed an interesting pattern:

• Vanilla ice cream lovers are idealistic, take risks, rely more on intuition than logic, and are also impulsive.
• "Very Berry Strawberry" tempts most often introverts, people who are calm, reliable and thoughtful.
• Those who prefer "Chocolate" (Chocolate) love flirting and seduction, they are cheerful, charming, although sometimes dramatic.
• Mint Chocolate Chip is chosen by people who like to argue. In a dispute, they will surely find a fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey. They are ambitious and always confident that they are right.
• Fruit sorbets (Rainbow Sherbet) are preferred, oddly enough, by pessimistic people. Such people take a long time to decide and meticulously analyze what is happening.
• Jamoca coffee-flavored ice cream is chosen by people living on a grand scale, with a fountain of energy and drama. They do not think about the future, live in the present and need a constant revival of romantic relationships.
• And varieties with walnuts and pecans, such as Rocky Road, seduce loyal, respectful and honest people. They have high moral standards and are afraid of hurting someone's feelings.

The researcher argues that preferences for ice cream varieties can be used to judge the compatibility of people, especially if they like the same variety with a complex composition - for example, vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate and mint.

There is no reason other than a direct prohibition from your doctor not to go and eat some of your favorite treat right now.

Sources

Adam D. How ice cream tickles your brain // The Guardian. 29 Apr. 2005.

Innes E. Why we eat a whole tub of ice cream when we're sad: Feeling down can reduce our ability to taste fat // Daily Mail. 7 June 2013.

Jung A. Hidden personality traits revealed through your favorite ice cream flavor // Riders Digest. 2015.

Wang SS The science behind why we love ice cream // The Washington Post. 8 Nov. 2010.