Researchers from Russia’s HSE University found that people who enjoy sweet foods such as ice cream, candy, chocolate and cake may be more likely to make impulsive choices and seek immediate rewards.
The study examined 149 young adults and compared their preferences for sweet foods with their performance on tasks designed to assess impulsive behaviour and decision-making patterns.
The findings showed that participants with a stronger preference for sweets tended to choose smaller but certain rewards that were available immediately, rather than larger rewards that required them to wait.
Researchers said this behaviour may indicate a stronger preference for immediate gratification and less willingness to consider longer-term outcomes.
The study also found that people with a stronger sweet preference may be more interested in avoiding uncertainty, suggesting that they may prefer outcomes that are predictable and immediately available.
According to the researchers, these behavioural patterns may be associated with activity in brain regions involved in assessing uncertainty and risk, as well as those linked to the experience of pleasure.
The researchers said the observed changes point toward patterns of impulsive behaviour, although the findings do not establish that eating sweets directly causes such behaviour.
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
