Crunchy or Creamy? Almost Half of Americans Would Dump You Over Your Peanut Butter Preference

Crunchy or creamy? It’s the age-old peanut butter debate. Most people have a strong preference one way or the other. But did you know that your favorite spread could be a deal-breaker on the dating market?

Shocking, but true. A new study by OnePoll on behalf of Jif asked 2,000 Americans about their peanut butter predilections. One-third of respondents reported feeling “extremely” passionate about their peanut butter likes and dislikes. Half were creamy devotees and the other half were crunchy enthusiasts – and these preferences are related to the eater’s personality.

Sixty-three percent of crunchy peanut butter lovers described themselves as optimists, whereas only 56 percent of creamy PB eaters said the same. Crunchy PB fanatics were also more likely to be extroverts and night owls, whereas creamy PB eaters tended to be early birds and introverts.

But most surprising was how peanut butter eaters felt about their partner’s PB consumption. Almost half of respondents said differing peanut butter preferences would be reason enough to reject a potential mate!

Perhaps this comes from peanut butter preference trauma. Yes, we said it. Trauma. Creamy PB eaters claimed they were teased about their peanut butter preference at higher rates than the crunchy cohort during childhood (47 percent vs. 28 percent). To add insult to injury, creamy peanut butter lovers were more likely to be judged for their preferred PB texture than crunchy PB lovers (50 percent vs. 32 percent). A majority of creamy PB fans (68 percent) even said they felt pressured to say they preferred crunchy, while crunchy lovers felt less of a need to conform (50 percent).

The only thing the two sides agreed on? That grape jelly is superior to strawberry when making a PB&J.

Maybe creamy peanut butter lovers need to grow a pair. Maybe crunchy fans need to back off. We’re unsure. What we do know is that the next time you’re doing 20 questions on a date, make sure you find out upfront what their peanut butter preference is. (And, equally important: do they eat their PB straight out the jar? Because that would be a deal-breaker for us.) The future of your relationship just might depend on it.

Cover Photo: baibaz (Getty Images)

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