The way you butter your toast says a lot about your personality, psychologist reveals
How you butter your toast is probably something you don’t give a second thought to - but it can actually tell a lot about your personality.
In fact, research from Flora, showed that 19 percent of adults use the 'Total Coverage' technique.
Psychologist and human behavioural expert, Darren Stanton, has revealed what your spreading on toast technique says about your personality.
Below, he delves into what each butter-spreader technique is, and what it means about your personality.
Glider
A glider is someone who glides their knife over the bread for an even spread and is the most common of all toast buttering types.
"[Gliders] follow things routinely and are always on time for a meeting or get-together," Stanton says.
"They are happy to go with the status quo and tend to glide through life quite successfully, unphased by hurdles or moments of stress. They’re always able to focus and remain calm, which others tend to be quite shocked at."
He adds that gliders are good at listening to others too.
Total coverage
Those who prefer total coverage tend to be ‘very methodical people’, Stanton says.
"To leave something bare on the toast is like leaving something half-finished in life for them," Stanton explains.
"They tend to be very precise people, who follow their own rules. They are ‘everything in its place’-type people. If they had friends round for dinner everything would be immaculately organised.
"They are likely that person who organises the group holiday or takes the lead on scheduling group Christmas dinner months in advance. It’s about control, making sure every inch is covered and nothing is left to chance."
Clumper
A clumper is someone who will leave clumps of butter spread across their toast, which Stanton says means that they tend to do things in their own way.
"They will generally be the sort of people that are late for appointments and always think they have more time to spare than they have," Stanton says.
Do you want toast with your spread?
This is the kind of person who has more spread that they do toast, which Stanton says means they generally have a more happy disposition.
"They see the best in life, which is reflected in putting lashings of delicious spread in abundance all over their toast," he adds.
"When it comes to parties or get-togethers, guests are in for a good time, since happiness, along with an open mind, is very much a key character trait of this type of spreader. Last but not least they love to indulge. They don’t see why they would hold back when it comes to enjoying things they like in life."
Crust-avoider
We all know someone who won’t eat their crusts, but what about someone who avoids buttering the edges at all costs?
Stanton says people who do this tend to be very neat, tidy and almost procedural.
"Everything needs to be in its place, because crust avoiders are perfectionists who fear making a mess," he adds. "As they are orderly people, they’re likely great at life admin and are super organised, but don’t necessarily shout out about it."
Double sider
A double sider is someone who spreads their butter on both sides of the bread, which the research found is the most unique of all spreaders.
"They are creative people who use the abstract side of their brain. Very few individuals would spread their bread on both sides," Stanton explains.
"Double siders are reasonably extroverted and don’t mind standing out from the crowd. They love to enjoy life to the maximum - whether it’s savouring every moment of a holiday, or creating a totally indulgent slice of toast."
Tear and spread
Someone who tears and spreads will rip the bread and butter each portion individually, one at a time.
"People with the bread-tearing character trait do not like surprises and do not like to perform in a lesser way than they know they are capable of," Stanton says.
"The breaking of the bread is almost preparing which piece of the toast they will eat, rather than diving into the full or half slice. This person also has good communication skills because they’re used to breaking things down and thinking in different ways, using their ability to build trust and rapport with other people.
"They are fun outgoing types, and can be sporadic in nature. Making things up as they go along, they like to do things their own way."
Curler
A curler is someone who uses a rolling technique to plop their butter on top of their piece of toast, something which can suggest that they are a ‘perfectionist’.
"This makes it incredibly easy to spread and leaves the typical curler feeling smug, believing their way is clearly the best," Stanton explains.
"In life, they tend to seek out the more obscure method to solve a problem, they will likely be very good at puzzles or lateral thinking and others will consider themselves to be street smart and have a unique way to approach life."
Barely there
Also known as minimal spreaders or gap-leavers, a ‘barely there’ spreader is someone who hardly puts any butter on their toast.
"These individuals do not want to silence the taste of the bread by drowning it in spread. Hence they much prefer to savour the taste and texture just like a good wine," Stanton says.
"These people tend to very much live in the moment, and are quite ‘outdoorsy’. They are ‘go-getter’ types, and not ones to rest on their laurels, so some may find it very difficult to keep up with them.
"The lack of spread also signifies they want to spend as little time as possible on breakfast. They’d rather get out into the great outdoors and seize the day. Of course, ‘barely there’ spreaders may also be health conscious and prefer to go light on the spread for this reason."
What 'glider' are you? Let us know in the comments.
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