Boiled egg, omelette, hard-boiled or poached egg: could the way you eat this food for breakfast reveal certain traits of your character? In any case, this is what a survey carried out in the United Kingdom in 2012 among more than 1,000 adults confirmed. Each cooking seemed to correspond to a very particular profile. A fun conclusion… but to be taken with a grain of salt.
Because behind this astonishing survey is actually a promotional operation carried out on the occasion of British Egg Week, at the initiative of the British Egg Industry Council. The study was carried out by the Mindlab International laboratory among 1,010 British people. The researchers notably used the “Big Five” personality traits to try to match eating habits and temperament.
So, are poached egg lovers really more sociable? More organized omelette fans? And the more adventurous fried egg fans? Here is what this astonishing investigation said.
Which egg do you prefer? Your character would be different…
The study attempted to draw up a portrait of fans of different preparations.
Poached eggs were associated with rather sociable and outgoing people. Fans of this cuisine were described as well integrated socially, with an extroverted personality and a taste for bright colors.
Hard-boiled eggs, they painted a much less flattering portrait. Their followers were presented as more disorganized, impulsive and less attentive. The survey even went so far as to associate this group with a greater risk of divorce.
On the side scrambled eggs, the profile was more that of young adults aged 20 to 39, often in positions of responsibility. They were described as less anxious and more concerned with protecting themselves emotionally.
Fried eggs They seemed to attract more young men presented as curious and open to new experiences. The study also suggested they had a more active sex life.
Finally, omelet lovers were associated with a reliable, disciplined and organized personality. In particular, they are more likely to live in a tidy interior and, according to the survey, have a lower risk of divorce.
Can you really know someone through breakfast?
Not really. And this is where this investigation becomes interesting.
The results were based on correlations between participants’ responses and their eating habits. That is, certain characteristics were more common in certain groups. This absolutely does not mean that eating hard-boiled eggs would make you more impulsive or that making an omelette would make you particularly organized.
The survey therefore does not allow us to assert that our way of cooking eggs determines our personality.
Especially since this study was commissioned by the professional egg sector as part of a campaign intended to promote their consumption. Its results should therefore be considered entertainment rather than a true psychological test.
And yet, the idea speaks to us: we all tend to look for clues of personality in small everyday habits. The way we dress, choose a restaurant, tidy our desk… or prepare our breakfast.
But an egg remains an egg: it is obviously not enough to define who we are.
On the other hand, your way of cooking it may have an interest in your health.
If your choice of egg does not allow you to paint your psychological portrait, the way you prepare it can, however, have a nutritional interest.
Eggs are an excellent source of complete proteins, particularly beneficial for satiety and the maintenance of muscle mass. They also provide vitamin A, vitamin D and choline, a nutrient particularly involved in the functioning of the brain and liver.
“Eggs are also rich in vitamin A, vitamin D, very rare in the diet, as well as choline, an essential nutrient for the brain and liver”explains dietician-nutritionist Alexandra Murcier.
They also contain several B group vitamins, which participate in particular in energy metabolism and the functioning of the nervous system.
But to make the most of their nutritional qualities, the specialist recommends favoring gentle cooking.
Boiled, soft-boiled or poached: the preferred cooking methods?
“Eggs naturally contain fats, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are very beneficial for cardiovascular health. The problem? Cooking at high temperatures oxidizes lipids and degrades certain vitamins”explains Alexandra Murcier.
In this logic, boiled or soft-boiled eggs are among the interesting options. Their yolk remains undercooked, which makes it possible to better preserve certain nutrients sensitive to heat.
Same observation for the poached egg: it does not require the addition of fat and is based on relatively gentle cooking.
“These are the most interesting cooking options from a health point of view”underlines the dietitian-nutritionist.
The hard-boiled egg obviously remains a practical and nutritious option, especially when it is prepared in advance to accompany a salad or a balanced meal. But longer cooking can cause a loss of some heat-sensitive vitamins.
So while your favorite egg probably doesn’t reveal much about your personality, it can still provide some insight into how you take care of your plate. And between a well-cooked omelette and a soft-boiled egg, the choice is perhaps ultimately more a question of taste… than of character!