• Question: Why do we dislike the taste of some things but like the taste of others?

    Asked by Dingleberry to Hayley, Anna, Iain, Rebecca on 19 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Iain Bethune

      Iain Bethune answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      Some tastes we are genetically programmed to dislike, for example poisonous chemicals often taste bitter – our bodies have evolved to learn to reject things which are harmful to us.

      There is also an element of nurture (learned behaviour), for example if you were brought up to have lots of salt in your food, you will find unsalted food bland and unpleasant. For me it’s the other way round.

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