Do Tonic Water lovers have a bigger brain?

How does the size of the brain affect the taste??

Can a preference for the consumption of tonic water indicate the size of the brain? Physicians now found out that the size of the brain not only affects how smart people are, but also influences how bitter individuals find tonic water.

The researchers from the University of Queensland have found in their recent research that the size of the brain has an impact on how bitter people feel about the taste of tonic water. The experts published the results of their study in the English language journal "Behavioral Brain Research".

Gin Tonic is an alcoholic beverage that has gained immense popularity in recent years. The contained tonic water has a slightly bitter taste. If you are one of the people who like the taste of Tonic Water, it may indicate that you have a bigger brain. (Image: chandlervid85 / fotolia.com)

Why do some people have a taste for bitter taste?

This is the first time that brain perception and taste perception have been linked, explains study author Dr. Hwang from the Diamantina Institute of the University of Queensland on the investigation. "Everyone wants to know why we like certain foods and why people have tastes of a bitter or sweet taste," the expert adds in a press release.

People with bigger brains do not find Tonic Water so bitter

It was unclear whether the size of the brain affected anything but a person's IQ, but now scientists have discovered that size also determines how food and drinks are perceived. Whether you like Tonic Water or not, people with bigger brains usually find it less bitter, Dr. Hwang.

More than 1,600 subjects participated in the study

For the study, over 1,600 volunteers in Australia and America were asked to state their perceived intensities of various sweet and bitter flavor solutions. The size of the participant's brain was then measured using a so-called MRI scan.

What did the MRI scans show??

The researchers found that the left side of the entorhinal cortex, an area of ​​the brain responsible for memory, smell, and visual perception, was larger in people who found the taste of quinine to be less bitter. Quinine is a key ingredient in tonic water and is commonly used to assess the response of people to a bitter taste, explains the physician.

Results could improve the treatment of eating disorders

The results obtained have increased understanding of the taste cortex, the part of the brain that processes taste signals and produces taste sensations. "Our study is a step toward understanding how the brain perceives the taste," says the study author in the press release. The results have implications for nutritional improvement and the treatment of eating disorders. Targeted treatment of the areas of the taste cortex could treat eating disorders with methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, a non-invasive treatment currently used to treat mental illness, the expert adds. (As)