Only mad for a gin and tonic? It’s time to start drinking it on the sly

If the results of a recent study are to be believed, we seriously regret declaring our love for an icy G&T to anyone who'd listen.

Instead of suggesting that a taste for the bitter stuff implies a more mature palate, researchers from Innsbruck University in Austria have concluded that fans of a chilled gin are more likely to exhibit psychopathic tendencies.

No, seriously.
 

With the help of 1,000 participants, researchers conducted two separate experiments – one which focussed on food and drink, and one which focussed on a participant's personality.

And in a conclusion that doesn't bode well for the vast majority of us here at SHEmazing! HQ, researchers ascertained that individuals who professed a preference for bitter-tasting food and drink, such as coffee, dark chocolate and gin-and-tonic, were more likely to display psychopathic traits.
 

Commenting on the study's results, lead author, Christina Sagioglou, said: "Everyday sadism is a construct related to benign Masochism – the enjoyment of painful activities – which was first described and investigated by psychologist Paul Rozin."

"To quote Paul Rozin for an explanation: ‘For the case of innately aversive foods, there may be pleasure from the fact that the body is signalling rejection, but the person knows there is no real threat."

So, not only does it do nothing for our waistline, our love of the clear stuff also marks us out as psychopaths in the local.

Cheers!