Apparently, gin and tonic drinkers are probably looking at crazy in the rear-view mirror on the road towards utter wickedness. That's not me but science. And I say this knowing how much I like to order a gin and tonic when getting a drink.

The bitterness just appeals to me, and not being a wine or beer fan, gin and tonic is my go-to option since I can't stand fruity cocktails.

Now look at this? I could be a psychopath, apparently.

If like me you are also facing this accusation, there is more you need to know about it.

1. The Evidence Was Overwhelming

The study was conducted by researchers at Innsbruck University in Austria and later published in Appetite. In total, 953 people were involved, and they revealed their food and drink preferences. When they analyzed the data, it was clear: people with a preference for bitter flavors were more likely to have undesirable traits.

2. Another Study Confirmed This

If you thought you could dismiss this whole thing by saying, "that's just one study, we need more evidence," then I am sorry to disappoint you because another study arrived at a similar conclusion. In both studies, the hypothesis that a taste for bitterness was positively associated with malevolent personality traits such as sadism and psychopathy was confirmed.

The researchers even did a controlled analysis while taking into consideration sweet, sour, and salty taste preferences and they found that a preference for bitter tastes was the greatest predictor of these problematic traits.

3. There Is A Link Between Bitter Tastes And Psychopathy

The researchers also discovered that people who like gin and tonic and eating foods such as pickles had an increased likelihood of having negative traits such as sadism, psychoticism, narcissism, and even Machiavellianism. That doesn't sound good at all.

4. Scientists Are Pretty Confident Their Results Are Accurate

The researchers seem pretty sure that their findings are dead-on accurate. In their assessment, they wrote these words: "The data thereby provides novel insights into the relationship between personality and the ubiquitous behaviors of eating drinking by consistently demonstrating a robust relation between increased enjoyment of bitter foods and heightened sadistic proclivities." So yeah, if you like bitter tastes, the sort you find in gin and tonic, there is a good chance you are a closeted psychopath according to science.

5. There Should Be More Research

I have a couple of problems with this study. First of all, less than 1,000 people took part. Secondly, the results were self-reported. That, I believe raises a few issues of credibility. Therefore, there should be further studies on the subject to ensure that the results are conclusive before adorable gin and tonic lovers like myself get accused of psychopathy. But I have to admit, the findings the researchers made are quite interesting, and they are worth pondering.

But wait a minute. Based on what you know about gin and tonic lovers, do you think these scientists are on to something? It's a bit unsettling to imagine that your gin and tonic buddies might easily consist of psychopaths and other unsavory characters, right? I think it's almost as eerie as knowing that being a gin and tonic drinker means you are probably the psychopath in your clique.