Why your morning toast is more about habit than pleasure

Researches beleive that breakfast has a 'utilitarian goal', one single purpose such as speed or weight control. Photo / Getty Images

While we try to make our lunch entertaining and our dinner a delight that we vary and experiment with, when it comes to breakfast we tend to eat the same thing day after day.

Researchers believe that the reason for this is that breakfast has a "utilitarian goal", one single purpose, such as speed or weight control.

Meanwhile, we view lunch and dinner with hungry hedonism, meaning that we seek pleasure in the experience.

Dr Romain Cadario, of the Rotterdam School of Management, who led the study said: "[It] came about because my colleagues and I talked about always having the same breakfast, but how we didn't worry about it being boring or tedious.

"However we would not even consider having the same dinner for three or four nights in a row."

The study saw 1275 people in the US, aged 18 to 99, record what they ate for every meal. Their choices showed that the volunteers were more likely to eat the same thing for breakfast than lunch or dinner, but there was more variation at breakfast at the weekends.

A separate survey of 199 people found that the majority of those questioned would repeat the same breakfast for at least three days during the week.

With more breakfast variation being shown on the weekends it seems likely that time is a key factor is our repetitive morning habits. Choices like cereal and toast are quick, affordable and portable. We don't get excited by the idea of eating these simple repetitive breakfasts, but they serve an important role in keeping our mornings running smoothly.