Research Shows People Eat More When Dining With Family and Friends

(Newswire.net — September 28, 2022) Orlando, FL — Today, more and more people are opting to do many things alone and this includes dining. There have been studies showing the impacts of social dining on food intake and overall health.

A study was carried out in Britain and Australia and it was spearheaded by the University of Birmingham. 

In this research, it has been found that people tended to eat more when dining with family and friends than alone. 

Previous research studies have shown that those who dined with others ate up to 48 percent more food than solo diners. Further, obese women who dined socially consumed up to 29 percent more than eating alone.  

These findings were made from assessing 42 existing studies of research involving social dining. The investigators explained that ancient hunter-gatherers actually shared food to gain protection against periods of food insecurity. 

It is called a survival mechanism that may still be happening today. It leads people to eat more when with friends and family due to certain reasons.

One is that eating with others is more enjoyable and its increased consumption is actually a byproduct of an enhanced reward from social eating. Further, social norms may also allow overeating in a company but impose sanctions when dining alone.

And the third reason is that providing food is correlated with praise and recognition from friends and family, strengthening social bonds.

“We found strong evidence that people eat more food when dining with friends and family than when alone. However, this social facilitation effect on eating was not observed across studies which had looked at food intake amongst people who were not well acquainted,” said research leader Dr. Helen Ruddock, from the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. 

Today, scientists are looking into the impacts of meal timing on health and weight. In this study, it appears that the social aspect of eating plays a role in the ability of people to enjoy meals. 

In these times of the pandemic, many people are eating together via video calls. Experts have long been stressing the relevance of taking measures helpful in fighting loneliness, depression, and anxiety, which are quite common today. 

It is also important to consume foods with mood-boosting benefits, and these include the ones with B vitamins. Over the years, researchers have been investigating B vitamins due to their mood-enhancing benefits. 

There are formulas like Divine Bounty B Vitamin Complex being widely used today. 

It contains Choline, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, and vitamin B6 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07414752B).