Do prosocial people prefer sweet-tasting foods? An attempted replication of Meier, Moeller, Riemer-Peltz, and Robinson (2012)

• We tested a proposed link between sweet taste preference and prosocial personality.
• Personality was assessed by self- and observer reports (HEXACO and Big 5).
• Sweet taste preference was not substantially related to prosocial traits.

Meier, Moeller, Riemer-Peltz, and Robinson (2012) reported a correlation of .36 between self-reported prosocial personality and preference for sweet-tasting foods. We examined further a possible link between having a “sweet” personality and liking sweet foods, by obtaining self- and observer reports of personality in two samples of about 300 participants each. In both samples, sweet taste preferences correlated .15 or under with self-reports and under .10 with observer reports of a prosocial personality composite based on the HEXACO factors. In one sample, the Big Five factors were also assessed, and sweet taste preferences correlated .19 with self-reports but only .06 with observer reports of Big Five Agreeableness. We conclude that prosocial personality is not substantially associated with sweet taste preferences.