Effects of the Presence of Others on Food Intake: A Normative Interpretation

The authors review the effect of the presence of others on food intake. In social facilitation studies, people tend to eat more in groups than when alone. In modeling studies, the presence of others may facilitate or inhibit intake, depending on how much these other people eat. Studies of impression...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological bulletin 2003-11, Vol.129 (6), p.873-886
Main Authors: Herman, C. Peter, Roth, Deborah A, Polivy, Janet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Energy Intake
Feeding Behavior
Food
Food consumption
Food Intake
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Group dynamics
Human
Humans
Impression Management
Inhibition
Interpersonal Relations
Others' perceptions
Perception of others
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social Facilitation
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social Norms
Social Perception
Social psychology
Social relations
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Summary:The authors review the effect of the presence of others on food intake. In social facilitation studies, people tend to eat more in groups than when alone. In modeling studies, the presence of others may facilitate or inhibit intake, depending on how much these other people eat. Studies of impression management demonstrate that people tend to eat less in the presence of others than when alone. The authors attempt to reconcile these divergent literatures by reference to a model of inhibitory norms that govern eating. In the presence of palatable food, and in the absence of clear signals of satiety, people look outward to cues from the environment to determine when to stop eating. Socially derived inhibitory norms can account for either increased or decreased intake in the presence of others, depending on how much the others eat and the extent to which one is eager to impress them.
ISSN:0033-2909
1939-1455
DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.129.6.873