Psychologists from China claim that the choice of wine – especially the alcohol content – can be decided by personality traits more than taste preferences alone. This applies primarily to the alcohol content. People with a higher level of friendliness and openness more often choose wines with a higher alcohol content, for example Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, port or sherry.
A team from Beijing Normal – Hong Kong Baptist University analyzed nearly 10,000 reviews of a large online wine retailer. With the help of artificial intelligence, he determined the personality traits of the authors of the evaluations and compared them with the alcohol content of the purchased wines. The results show that people with a higher level of friendliness and openness are more likely to prefer wines with a higher alcohol content, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, port or sherry. Such wines tend to be perceived as higher quality, fuller and richer in taste.
The authors published their study in the Journal of Personality. “The findings suggest that personality traits significantly shape consumer evaluation of wine. “The results show that openness and agreeableness are positively associated with a preference for higher alcohol content in wine, while extraversion and neuroticism show a negative association,” the authors said.
On the contrary, people with a higher degree of extraversion and neuroticism (tendency to be subject to negative emotions) more often reach for wines with a lower alcohol content, for example Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir or Prosecco. The researchers called the extraversion result unexpected. They suggest that extroverts may choose weaker wines to avoid drunkenness and to stay longer in social interaction. An attempt to avoid the physiological risks associated with drunkenness may play a role in neuroticism.
The authors found no significant association between conscientiousness and alcohol content preference. Researchers report that this knowledge can help internet sellers and marketers create personalized recommendations and improve algorithms.
