FAMILY AND FRIENDS PRODUCE GREATER SOCIAL FACILITATION OF FOOD-INTAKETHAN OTHER COMPANIONS

How the presence of other people increases the amount eaten in meals w as investigated by studying the impact of different companions on the spontaneous intake of free-living humans. 515 adults were paid to main tain 7-day diaries of everything they ate or drank, the time of occurr ence, self-rated hunger, anxiety, and elation, the number of other peo ple present, and their gender and relationship to the subject. Meals e aten with other people were larger and longer in duration compared to meals eaten alone regardless of the relationship of the eating compani on to the subject. However, relative to other companions, meals eaten with spouse and family were larger and eaten faster, while meals eaten with friends were larger and of longer duration. This was independent of the time of day with similar effects occurring with morning, noont ime, and evening meals. In addition males produced greater social faci litation of intake in females but not in males. These results suggest that the presence of other people at a meal increases intake by extend ing the time spent at the meal, probably as a result of social interac tion, and that family and friends have an even larger effect, probably by producing relaxation and a consequent disinhibition of restraint o n intake.