Module 3: Research & Writing Across the Curriculum Final Draft

Obesity is a problem that is plaguing our nation, as well as the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 39.8 million or 57.8% of American adults are overweight. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 300 million adults worldwide are obese. Even though obesity can be caused by biological factors, particularly genetics of hormonal imbalances, more often than not, it can be attributed to behavioral factors, the main one being overeating. Overeating consists of consuming more calories than the body needs, which the body stores as fat. But what affects the way people eat and the amount people eat? Studies show that human eating behavior has social or external influences that most people are unaware of, resulting in most cases to overeating, however in some scenarios to under eating.

In a recent study published in Physiology and Behavior, Marion Hetherington and colleagues suggest that external factors influence overeating. They conducted a study that followed the eating behaviors of participants in a social setting and concluded that human eating behavior is influenced by the presence of others and by the availability and palatability of food. Data in the study suggests that eating with friends or family can enhance the amount one eats by over forty percent (498). Hetherington gives a couple reasons for the increase in food intake when around familiar faces. The first reason is “time extension” (498). This means that when one is eating meals with others, conversation extends the time that one is exposed to food. Secondly, while the exposure to food is greater, one is also multi-tasking, in a sense, when conversing over a meal. Therefore the social aspect serves as a “distraction, which impairs the ability to self-monitor” (498) how much food one eats. Furthermore the study found that it is easier to overeat when watching TV, listening to the radio, or doing something else that requires more attention. Lastly, the study showed that when people overate in social situations, they tend to pick foods high in sugar and fat (cakes/chips vs. coleslaw) “indicating that social facilitation effects might be greater for particular food types (highly palatable, high energy snacks) which are more commonly consumed in social settings” (503). This article highlighted the fact that people eat more in social settings because this gives them more exposure to the food and also because conversations serve as a distraction that does not allow the person to monitor how much he or she is eating. Furthermore, the fact that individuals are more drawn to foods high in fat and sugars while in social settings may be a problem for the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.

Lenny Vartanian et al. in a similar study published in Health and Psychology found that even although external factors did influence overeating, more often than not, people were not aware of these factors. Vartanian says, “people tend not to acknowledge their own susceptibility to a number of environmental influences on their food intake.” This is consistent with the fact that “although people generally acknowledge that external elements (i.e. media, advertising) influence others. They deny the influence of these elements on their own behavior” (537). The study was set up so that pairs of participants (that already knew one another) watched TV together and had access to food. These participants were later surveyed. Most participants in the study attributed overeating to hunger, satiety, and taste, however the “vast majority of participants did not report any reason that was even remotely related to the presence of the co-eater” (535). This study sheds light on another important barrier to maintaining a healthy diet. Not only is it the fact that overeating occurs in social settings, most of the time people are completely unaware that they are overeating and what the cause is.

It is clear from these two studies that overeating has a social influence, which may be harming a person’s ability to eat healthy and as a result may cause obesity. However, the social influence of eating with strangers was not observed in either of these studies. In her journal article titled Effects of Social Context on Overweight and Normal-Weight Children’s Food Selection, Sarah-Jeanne Salvy sought to figure out if the presence of peers can influence the way overweight or normal children eat. The study paired up an overweight child with a normal weight child. These children did not know each other and were offered snacks. The study concluded that the obese children ate more when alone and less when with the normal weight children, while the normal weight children ate less when alone and more when with the overweight children showing that the two groups tried to match each other’s food intake. This study, like the two before does show that social influence affects overeating, however, unlike the other two, this time the presence of a thinner peer who was a stranger decreased the amount of food intake by the heavier peer. The researchers concluded, “overweight individuals may modify their food selection in front of others to avoid incurring the stigmas attributed to overweight individuals” (191). This study further solidifies the point that overeating can definitely be attributed to social surroundings, however, it shows that when around strangers and non-family members, individuals tend to match their food intake with the other person. This example shows how social influence could actually aid in maintaining a healthy diet for some individuals.

It is evident that social influences and factors play into overeating considerably. While eating with family and friends, individuals spend more time with exposure to food, therefore may inadvertently eat more. Furthermore, certain foods that are more common in social settings and happen to be high in fat and sugar tend are consumed at higher frequencies and often inadvertently. When eating with strangers, however, individuals often try to match the other individual’s food intake as to not be embarrassed by the amount of food that they eat. Whether eating with strangers or with family, one thing is certain, unless people realize the extreme importance of social influences on overeating in their own lives, overeating and obesity will continue to be a problem.


Works Cited

Hetherington, Marion M., Annie S. Anderson, Geraldine N.M. Norton, and Lisa Newson. “Situational Effects on Meal Intake: A Comparison of Eating Alone and With Others.” Physiology and Behavior 88 (2006): 498-505.

Salvy, Sarah-Jeanne, Elizabeth Kieffer, and Leonard H. Epstein. “Effects of Social Context on Overweight and Normal-weight Children’s Food Selection.” Eating Behaviors 9 (2007): 190-196.

Vartanian, Lenny R., C. Peter Herman, and Brian Wansink. "Are We Aware of the External Factors That Influence Our Food Intake?” Health Psychology 27 (2008): 533-538.