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Food Preferences

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Human dietary predispositions

Definition

An overview of human dietary preferences, including innate predispositions to favor and avoid certain tastes as well as the role of culture and environment in shaping food preferences.

Introduction

Humans occupy a multitude of habitats on earth – a success possible due to our dietary flexibility, among other things. As omnivores – animals that eat both plants and other animals – we are able to consume a wide range of foods, which is evident in the great variability of diets worldwide. While omnivores or food generalists are not programmed for any specific diet, humans display universal tendencies such as an innate aversion to bitter tastes or fear of new foods – these preferences protect the organism from ingesting possibly dangerous items. Challenging this tendency for caution is the need to explore new edibles in order to vary the diet and prevent nutrient deficiencies. This conflict between an interest in novel foods and a fear of...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Mariya Voytyuk

Authors
  1. Mariya Voytyuk
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Correspondence to Mariya Voytyuk .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland Univ Dept of Psycholgy, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  3. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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Voytyuk, M. (2016). Food Preferences. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2943-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2943-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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