Can’t skip dessert? Your personality may influence your cravings.

February 27, 2023

If you cannot avoid that extra scoop of ice cream for dessert, you are far from alone. Nearly two in five (37%) people say they have a bigger sweet tooth now than they did as a kid, reports Study Finds.

It turns out personality and marital status may even play a role in how you feel about dessert. The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults reveals that there could be more than just taste buds that influence how we feel about sugary foods.

Introverts vs. extroverts

When comparing respondents who are introverts to those who are extroverts, researchers report that nearly half (49%) of extroverts claim their craving for sweets has increased since childhood.

More self-reported introverts than extroverts prefer chocolate desserts (46% vs. 31%), according to the study findings—and introverts also are much more likely to eat sweets in the morning (33% vs. 15%).

And if you’re an introvert, chances are your parents “always” or “often” let you eat desserts as a child (71%). That may be why introverts are more likely than extroverts to order from the dessert menu when eating out (61% vs. 50%).

Optimists vs. pessimists

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Nothing Bundt Cakes for the launch of the latter’s new Oreo Cookies & Cream cake, the survey also discovered how optimists and pessimists differ in their dessert preferences.

Those with an optimistic viewpoint overwhelmingly preferred sweet over sour treats (77% vs. 51% percent of pessimists). And if you tend to have a gloomy outlook, you’re more likely to go for a sour treat than someone with a sunny disposition (20% vs. 7%).

Furthermore, a positive outlook on life may indicate a greater propensity toward a portion of cake (46% vs. 29%). Overall, more than two in five (42%) say cake is their favorite dessert.

Most respondents developed a greater openness toward new desserts going into adulthood, with 73% eating sweets they never tried as a kid.

Married vs. single

Additionally, the research looked into the social aspects surrounding desserts and found that 41% of those with a partner or spouse have a favorite dessert in common.

Seven in ten (73%) said that knowing someone’s favorite dessert indicates a certain closeness. To that end, nearly half (48%) would try a dessert they don’t usually like if offered one by a close friend, and an equal amount said their pal would do the same.

Sharing is caring for 58% of respondents, who “always” or “often” share their desserts with someone else. “Whether you save a slice for someone else or have it all for yourself, our research shows 42% say cake is their favorite dessert, indicating its timelessness,” says Nothing Bundt Cakes Chief Marketing Officer Angie Eckelkamp, in a statement.

The average person polled eats about three desserts per week and has just as many different types of sweets at home.

“Cakes have long been a birthday staple, but we’ve seen cakes become the centerpiece for occasions year-round, as well as ‘just because’ or everyday treats. So, it makes sense to see cakes listed as the top vote-getter for desserts, no matter if you’re an introvert or extrovert,” adds Eckelkamp. “And while classics like strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla topped the list of respondents’ favorite flavors, we were excited to see cookies and cream also featured within the top ten.”

Research contact: @StudyFinds

August 19, 2024

“Redshirting”—or choosing to delay school entry for a year—seems to be an increasingly popular trend among parents who are trying to give their children a competitive advantage, reports Yahoo Lifestyle.

The growing popularity of redshirting may have been started by Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling book, Outliers, which was published in 2008. In this book, Gladwell claims that a child being relatively older than their peers provides an advantage.

Gladwell points to data showing that nearly all players for the Canadian Hockey League have birthdays in the first four months of the year. Because the cutoff for most sports in Canada is January 1, children born in the first four months of the year are older than the other children on the team—thus, making them more likely to be identified as talented and ultimately more likely to play professional hockey. Gladwell argues that this principle extends to children who are older than their classmates having an academic advantage as well.

Sincethis book was published, it seems that children are waiting longer and longer to start kindergarten every year. At the same time, kindergarten seems to be becoming increasingly academic and rigorous.

For parents of children born near the cutoff date, the pressure to delay kindergarten feels intense. So does research actually find that redshirting will provide an academic and/or social advantage for children? The answer may be more complicated than you think.

The research on redshirting

Research on redshirting suggests that it is associated with a small academic advantage (that is, higher academic test scores) and test scores that seem to increase at a greater rate in the first and second grades (suggesting that redshirted children are showing enhanced learning in these grades).

However, this effect may begin to fade as early as the end of first grade. This research is also correlational—meaning we do not know whether it is redshirting that causes these advantages or if redshirting is simply associated with advantages. The latter would not be surprising since parents that choose to redshirt their children are often very different from the parents who do not—most notably, they are often higher income families.

Some research studies eliminate the problem of parent choice by looking at the impact of children’s age within the same grade (such as comparing students with summer birthdays to students in the same grade with fall birthdays). Research finds that students who are relatively older than other children in their grade score higher on math and science tests and, although these differences decrease over the years, they are still present to some extent in eighth grade.

Other research finds that children who are relatively older show less hyperactivity and inattention and greater educational attainment (translation: getting farther in school). However, the impact on educational attainment is greatly reduced when schools do not engage in early tracking (translation: sending children to different schools based on academic abilities in elementary school).

Research also shows that children who are older relative to their classmates are more likely to be in gifted education and less likely to be in special education. These positive impacts seem to extend to high school and beyond.

Children who are older relative to their classmates are also less likely to drop out of high school, less likely to commit a felony, and less likely to experience a teenage pregnancy. Children who are older than their classmates also are more likely to attend a four-year college than younger students.

Yet, it is very important to note that this line of research only involves associations (meaning, we do not know whether being older relative to your peers actually causes any of these positive or negative outcomes). Further research is needed in order to conclude that redshirting actually causes any of these positive outcomes.

Are there any situations in which parents may want to avoid redshirting?

So, research suggests that being older than your peers is consistently associated with at least a small advantage—but are there any situations in which parents might want to avoid redshirting?

Research suggests that when your child has an identified disability, a suspected disability—or even if you are just concerned that they may need some extra help in school—you may want to avoid redshirting. In this case, delaying school entry may be associated with worse academic performance, because it would also involve delaying free essential services through the public school system (such as speech therapy and learning support).

This short delay may have a big impact as research finds that services before age five are more effective in improving a child’s long-term outcome than services after age five.

Research has compared the impact of redshirting on children with disabilities (such as autism, developmental delays, learning disabilities, or health impairments) versus children without disabilities. Researchers found that children with disabilities who were redshirted scored significantly lower in math in third grade when compared to children with disabilities who were not redshirted, while children without disabilities who were redshirted showed improved math and reading scores in third grade. Research also finds a negative impact of redshirting for children with more severe ADHD and no impact for children with learning disabilities.

Is redshirting more important for boys than girls?

In any discussion of redshirting, it is commonly assumed that boys in particular benefit from redshirting. In line with this assumption, research reveals that boys are indeed more likely to be redshirted than girls. So is there any research to back up this trend?

Research does find that girls are more likely to be ready for kindergarten than boys and that this difference is mostly driven by differences in social-emotional development.

Research also suggests that boys seem to show greater gains from redshirting and that boys may not cope as well as girls with having higher-achieving classmates.

Research contact: @yahoolifestyle0