It turns out that the meal in the company of friends or family, much more likely to overeat than if you ate alone or in a familiar environment – for example, only close family members.
To such conclusion, scientists from the UK and Australia argue that the meal in a company leads to overeating. In ancient times, hunter-gatherers were forced to share food and gorge themselves for a future of bad days. This evolutionary mechanism has ensured our ancestor’s food safety. However, this leads to the fact that social norms seemed to be started to encourage overeating in the company.
Data analysis showed that those who eat with other people eat on average 48% more than when eating alone.
It is noteworthy that overeating in the company mainly peculiar for the company well with each other acquaintances. But, if a person eats in a new environment of unfamiliar people, you may unwittingly limit themselves in food, and therefore, the risk of overeating to a minimum.