Beautiful fruits taste good: the aesthetic influences of fruit preferences in humans. 2012

Pavol Prokop, and Jana Fancovicová
Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Trnava University, Trnava, Slovakia. pavol.prokop@savba.sk

Although diversity of fruit/seed colouration has received a great amount of attention since Darwin, little is known about its role in eating preferences in humans. We have determined that humans prefer certain fruits/seeds over others and that their willingness to eat them has been significantly influenced by the perceived aesthetic of the presented fruits and seeds. Participants were unable to discriminate between edible and poisonous fruits/ seeds based on their colour. Females rated all the groups of fruits/seeds as more attractive than males with this supporting the role of females in picking fruit in our evolutionary past. Red fruits were rated as more attractive than green or brown fruits. The results support the idea that fruit/seed colouration plays an important role in plant--disperser coevolution and that aesthetic judgment in humans have been shaped by natural selection.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D010858 Pigmentation Coloration or discoloration of a part by a pigment. Pigmentations
D010947 Plants, Toxic Plants or plant parts which are harmful to man or other animals. Plants, Poisonous,Plant, Poisonous,Plant, Toxic,Poisonous Plant,Poisonous Plants,Toxic Plant,Toxic Plants
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D005075 Biological Evolution The process of cumulative change over successive generations through which organisms acquire their distinguishing morphological and physiological characteristics. Evolution, Biological
D005260 Female Females
D005518 Food Preferences The selection of one food over another. Food Selection,Food Preference,Food Selections,Preference, Food,Preferences, Food,Selection, Food,Selections, Food
D005638 Fruit The fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Berries,Legume Pod,Plant Aril,Plant Capsule,Aril, Plant,Arils, Plant,Berry,Capsule, Plant,Capsules, Plant,Fruits,Legume Pods,Plant Arils,Plant Capsules,Pod, Legume,Pods, Legume
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths

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