How Adventurous an Eater Are You?
New dishes, the same old favourites, and the things you simply cannot eat
Some people read a menu looking for the dish they have never heard of; others look for the one they know. Psychologists call the reluctance to try new foods food neophobia, and it turns out to be a stable and strongly heritable trait, linked to a wider wariness of the unfamiliar. It is not the same as enjoying variety, and neither is the same as being easily disgusted. This test separates the three.
Before you start There are no right answers. Pick what is usually true for you, not what sounds best.
Answer about how you actually eat and choose food. If you avoid some foods for health, religious or ethical reasons, answer about your appetite for novelty within what you do eat.
What it measures
The first bar is food neophobia as measured by the Food Neophobia Scale: reluctance to eat, and avoidance of, unfamiliar foods. The other two are related constructs from the same research area: variety seeking, meaning a wish to vary even familiar food, and food disgust, meaning how easily food linked to contamination, decay or animal origin puts you off. It describes a normal-range trait, not an eating problem.
Based on: Food Neophobia Scale (Pliner & Hobden, 1992), with related measures of food variety seeking and food disgust
Possible results
Food neophobia
Reluctance to try foods you have never eaten.
Variety seeking
Wanting to change what you eat, even among familiar foods.
Food disgust
How easily food linked to dirt, decay or animal origin puts you off.
Common questions
Is food neophobia the same as being a picky eater?
They overlap but are not identical. Food neophobia is reluctance to try foods you have not had before; picky eating also includes rejecting many familiar foods. Research on the Food Disgust Scale found that both are linked to food disgust. Picky eating that severely limits what you can eat is a different matter and worth discussing with a professional.
Is food neophobia genetic?
Partly, and more than most people expect. A study of Finnish families and British twins estimated that about two thirds of the variation in adult food neophobia is genetic. That does not make it fixed - genes set a starting point, and repeated positive experience with new foods can still move it.
Is food neophobia linked to anxiety?
Modestly. In the original study, food neophobia scores went with higher trait anxiety, with a general wariness of new things and with less interest in new experiences. That fits the idea that it is part of a broader caution about the unfamiliar. But the links are moderate: plenty of calm people are cautious eaters, and plenty of anxious people love new food.
Can you become a more adventurous eater?
Usually, yes, and gradually. The most widely recommended approach is repeated exposure: tasting small amounts of a new food several times, in a relaxed setting, without pressure to finish it. Pairing unfamiliar foods with familiar ones and eating with people who enjoy them also helps. Forcing yourself tends to backfire.
Sources
- Pliner, P., & Hobden, K. (1992). Development of a scale to measure the trait of food neophobia in humans. Appetite. doi:10.1016/0195-6663(92)90014-W
- Knaapila, A., Tuorila, H., Silventoinen, K., Keskitalo, K., Kallela, M., Wessman, M., Peltonen, L., Cherkas, L. F., Spector, T. D., & Perola, M. (2007). Food neophobia shows heritable variation in humans. Physiology & Behavior. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.03.019
- van Trijp, H. C. M., & Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M. (1992). Consumers' variety seeking tendency with respect to foods: Measurement and managerial implications. European Review of Agricultural Economics. doi:10.1093/erae/19.2.181
- Hartmann, C., & Siegrist, M. (2018). Development and validation of the Food Disgust Scale. Food Quality and Preference. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2017.07.013
An honest note Only the first bar corresponds to the published Food Neophobia Scale; the other two are related constructs from the same research area, not validated factors of that scale. All statements are Quinthea's own wording, so scores cannot be compared with published norms. Food habits are shaped heavily by culture and by what was on the table in childhood. This is a normal-range trait, not a diagnosis: if your range of foods is so narrow that it affects your health, weight or social life, talk to a doctor.