Study Claims Women Avoid Eating Junk Food in Front of Men

When it comes to ill-advised first date foods, garlic-laden dishes, messy racks of ribs, and saucy, slurpy noodles typically come to mind. But French fries, the golden slices of fried starch that so effectively soak up the one-too-many beers consumed on awkward Tinder dates? Never.

However, in a new study published in the journal of Food Quality and Preference, researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark have found that both men and women tend to exhibit some odd food behaviors when in the presence of someone they're attracted to.

The researchers claim that women are more likely to shun greasy, fatty, and generally delicious foods—like fries—in favor of healthier dishes, a behavior that has likely evolved in response to the perception that men prioritize beauty and health in a female partner.

Men, on the other hand, don't give a second thought to ordering indulgent dishes, but are more inclined to order more expensive drinks and menu items in an effort to appear successful.

Despite this all sounding like some patriarchal bullshit, study author Tobias Otterbring insists there's solid scientific data behind these behavioral findings. "The mere presence of others and their physical appearance can influence people's meal choices and food intake," Otterbring writes of his findings. The results, which were based on a series of five experiments, "revealed that prior exposure to attractive men decreased women's willingness to spend money on unhealthy foods, and increased their inclination to spend money on healthy foods."

READ MORE: Meet the Man Who Wants to Set Up a French-Fry Stand in Antarctica

However, Otterbring also notes that "none of these effects occurred after exposure to attractive same-sex individuals," proving that "mate attraction is the fundamental motive underlying these findings."

Women have taken to the Internet to protest this anti-fry talk and push back against the Aarhus findings. In response to an article in the UK Times titled "Women don't fancy chips when they see a good-looking man," Lex Croucher (@lexcanroar) tweeted: "women don't fancy men when they see good-looking chips."

Twitter user Priscilla Cullen (@Cilllah) shot back, "What a load of rubbish. I don't think I've ever ordered a salad. Food is life." Meanwhile, writer Elena Cresci issued a rallying cry: "hands up if you're gonna order chips around men always so they get a complex."

All we know for sure is that no date—no matter how hot—is worth sacrificing our fry rights for. In fact, we're considering uprooting to Belgium, where a late-night trip to the frites stand is apparently your best chance at finding romance.