It’s a habit that’s hard to stop–overindulging at your favorite restaurant. But why are so we prone to overeating when we go out?
While some may put the blame on oversized portions, a new study from Cornell University says what matters more are the people you’re eating with–and their own personal fitness level.
Worse yet, our temptation to eat more is a subconscious thing that isn’t always easy to control, say researchers.
“This finding emphasizes the importance of pre-committing to meal choices before entering the restaurant,” says Mitsuru Shimizu, a Southern Illinois University assistant professor of psychology and lead author of the study. “If you go into the restaurant knowing what you will order you’re less likely to be negatively influenced by all of the things that nudge you to eat more.”
What Researchers Discovered
The research, now published in the journal Appetite, originally explored how eating with other people, such as a spouse, a group of friends, or other acquaintances, mentally influenced a person’s eating habits–whether it was positive, negative, or had no influence at all. Researchers tested this out by recruiting 82 college students to eat a salad and spaghetti lunch while being surrounded by different people, such as an overweight woman eating a healthy salad, an overweight woman eating an unhealthy lunch, or a thin woman making the same unhealthy choices.
They expected there to be changes in the participants’ eating habits depending on whom they ate with–and this turned out to be fact. Regardless of what the overweight woman ate in the experiment, the participants consistently ate over 30 percent more food, even if she didn’t choose unhealthy options. Even more surprisingly, when the overweight woman ate mostly salad, it had a negative effect on their healthy eating habits as well, causing them to eat 43.5 percent less salad.
Strange? Researchers definitely agree. They also agree that eating with heavier people could influence you to eat more–regardless of what they actually eat.
“Consistent with the “lower health commitment” hypothesis, these results demonstrated that people may eat larger portions of unhealthy food and smaller portions of healthy food when eating with an overweight person, probably because the health commitment goal is less activated,” say researchers. “More generally, this study provides evidence that the body type of an eating companion, as well as whether she serves herself healthily or unhealthily, influences the quantity of food intake.”
But does this necessarily mean you should avoid eating with your overweight friend or family members? No, say researchers–instead, it means you should make an eating plan before you go to a restaurant instead.
“Look up the menu beforehand and select a meal that suits your dietary goals,” says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University and co-researcher. “ends, “Look up the menu beforehand and select a meal that suits your dietary goals. Or, if you’re going to a buffet, pre-commit to selecting modest portions of healthy foods and with that goal in mind, those around you will have less of a negative influence over what you eat.”
To learn more about these findings, check out Appetite’s December issue.
Readers: Do you find it hard to control how much you eat at restaurant? Why or why not?
Source:
The Larger Your Friends, The Larger Your Appetite Says Study – ScienceDaily.com
Study: Eating With Overweight People Causes You to Eat More – Even if They Choose Healthy Options – ScienceDirect.com
About The Author: Zero to Hero Fitness
Our mission at Zero to Hero Fitness is to help you to finally lose the weight and keep it off, strengthen your body and mind, and experience naturally high levels of energy throughout the day. We believe everyone, regardless of your past or current struggles with your health or fitness, can greatly improve on your existing condition and live life in your best body possible.