Butter or margarine preference usually depends on the mother

Study on the "Dope of the psyche"
Butter or margarine? What we paint on our bread may say more about us than we think. This is at least apparent from a recent study by the Cologne market research institute "Rheingold". The preference for a particular fat spread would therefore be shaped in childhood. People who feel a close bond with their mother are therefore often lovers of butter, while margarine fans often want to break away from too tight motherhood, according to the Institute's statement.

Market researchers carry out depth psychology interviews with 48 subjects
Which spread we take for our bread does not depend primarily on personal taste or medical recommendations. Instead, the choice is influenced mainly by our mother or grandmother, reports the Rheingold Institute. Because in addition to the own biography, the relationship with the mother unconsciously play a central role in the decision between butter or margarine.

The preferences are shaped. Picture: exclusive-design - fotolia

The market researchers at the Cologne Institute came to this conclusion through a depth psychological-representative study for the company Arla Kaergarden. In six group sessions with a total of 48 subjects was examined how the "greasy psyche" works. The researchers found that consumers are almost always on one side, with butter enthusiasts representing a slightly higher 51% overall than margarine fans at 34%.

Butter embodies a nearly ideal family portrait
It turned out that butter lovers often had close family ties and that the relationship with their mother was felt to be very close. In other cases, a narrow, central "mother figure" was missing - which is why the grandmother often acted as an 'idealized' family model. "Butter embodies the heartfelt care and a nearly ideal family image," the report says. Accordingly, this butter for Butter fans "the higher quality and more desirable product" is, which also demonstrate "Look, I've made it, my goal is achieved, I can afford it," explain the researchers.

Those who prefer margarine, on the other hand, "rebel" against the "butter ideal" and a too close mother relationship. "Margarine helps to go their own way, to break away from their outdated and encrusted ideals," write the Rheingold researchers. As margarine is easier and more convenient to handle than butter, it helps to "break away" from tight nut bindings. Accordingly, 48% of women who today prefer to eat margarine have a "butter nut" whose attachment behavior is perceived to be too narrow, according to the statement. (No)