from the all-the-cool-kids-are-doing-it dept.
http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/op/the_fat_suit_study
New research has found that if those you are eating with or are eating nearby are overweight, you are more likely to eat a larger portion yourself.
This new Cornell University study found that the body type of your dining partner, or that of those dining nearby, may actually influence how much you serve yourself and how much you eat!
The study investigated the impact the presence of an overweight diner on healthy and unhealthy food choices and found you are more likely to serve and eat more unhealthy foods and less healthy foods when eating with or near someone who is overweight. These findings support a theory that when eating with or near an overweight person, you may be less likely to adhere to your own health goals. “This finding emphasizes the importance of pre-committing to meal choices before entering the restaurant,” says lead author Mitsuru Shimizu, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. “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.”
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 06 2014, @07:53AM
I see a new type of job emerging for overweight people: Sitting at strategic places in restaurants.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 06 2014, @08:27AM
those are called:
1) spies
2) paparazzi
3) escorts
... and so on
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday October 06 2014, @11:48AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 06 2014, @03:03PM
cointelpro
nice try!
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Monday October 06 2014, @11:06AM
Scenario 1: (Thinks...) Pasta and salad. Yuk. Oh well, I'll eat a bit and pop into KFC on the way back for a... GOD look at that bloater in front of me, bet she didn't get that way on pasta and salad... ok, so, its a sign. I'll fill up on pasta now, skip KFC and go for a jog later.
Scenario 2: (Thinks...) Woohoo! Spaghetti! Hey, wait, she looks OK, nice figure, wonder if I can get her number... hmm, best behaviour, mustn't look greedy or get spaghetti sauce all over my face... salad it is.
Scenario 3: (Thinks...) Lets see, I've just filled out three pages of Human Subject consent forms and waivers, had a 10 minute lecture on research ethics and my right to withdraw at any stage, so maybe, just maybe there's some sort of test coming up. Aha: woman in poorly disguised fat suit... I'm obviously expected to be shocked into eating less. Let's have some fun...
(Score: 4, Interesting) by c0lo on Monday October 06 2014, @11:57AM
If I'm going to a restaurant, I do it to have good food/drink and a quality time with my friends... fuck off and keep your "pre-committed food choices" for yourself killjoy, I don't care about them and I'm not going to feel guilty because of that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 06 2014, @12:04PM
"quality time with my friends"
all recorded by in-house video cameras so the staff can live vicariously through their guests!
/do you read lips?
//why, yes, I do. Why?
///just curious
////but why?
/////we're actors for entertainment
/////we lied
/////BUT WHY?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 06 2014, @12:29PM
Hey it worked on smokers.
(Score: 3, Informative) by bootsy on Monday October 06 2014, @01:04PM
In the UK, where we all pay towards the health system, the increase in obesity with the associated increases in heart attacks, diabetes and joint damage, is actually hurting the rest of us. It is costing a fortune and, along with increased lifespans of poor quality, is gradually bankrupting the NHS system.
We tax smoking and alcohol but fatty foods and excess sugar are not taxed ( yeah there are some inconsistant value added tax laws where we tax cake and not biscuits but in general...). The idea behind taxing smoking heavily is to put people off but also to get more money which presumably gets sucked into the health service. We probably need to do the same thing with sugary foods as well if we want to maintain a public health service.
In the US insurance model I suppose you just have to charge obese people more for their cover.
(Score: 2) by mojo chan on Monday October 06 2014, @05:04PM
The problem is extra tax will just hurt the poor, because marketing will still be pushing unhealthy food heavily and it requires little time/effort to prepare. What we need to do is extend food standards to cover health values as well as hygiene. Force manufacturers to reduce salt and sugar content, use smaller portions and so forth.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 2) by bootsy on Tuesday October 07 2014, @09:21AM
It's true what you say about marketing.
In the UK at least healthy food is cheaper as is eating less food. Most people, especially the lower paid workers, actually consumer too many calories.
It's a crazy messed up situation. You can almost tell someone's social background from their size now.
I'll give an example in Central London prices as of 7/10/2014.
Chocolate bar = 70p
Raw Carrot = 10p
Banana = 12p
Tomato = 13p
Ready made potato salad = 65p i.e. still cheaper than the snack bar and considerably more nutrient.
Yet what do people actual choose to eat?
I've really started trying to stop eating chocolate and snack on raw fruit or veg.
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Monday October 06 2014, @05:58PM
...I wish I was convinced that was true, and not just a smokescreen to hide the real problems: ever-increasing availability of more and more expensive treatments to make us live longer and longer and need even more treatments. If we all want to live until we're 100 and still retire in our 60s, it will take more than 5p on the price of a Coke to pay for the healthcare we're going to need.
As for obesity, the real problem is we all do sedentary jobs, drive cars everywhere, live in centrally-heated houses (anybody done the maths on that? maintaining body temperature uses calories) and (for most of us) have access to plentiful food.
Pretty sure it just goes into the treasury along with all the other tax - it may get spent on health, it could go to the army, build roads, subsidise farmers to grow more sugar, allow MPs to get cheap beer in their subsidised bar... or it might well be spent on subsidising private industry (in the form of benefits paid to the working poor so that emplyers don't have to pay them a living wage).
(Score: 2) by Leebert on Monday October 06 2014, @02:51PM
This was very apparent to me one time when I went to Fogo de Chão [fogodechao.com] with a couple of my friends who are quite big guys with serious appetites. I felt so ill from overstuffing myself on meat I don't believe I've been back since nor do I have a desire to return.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 06 2014, @09:22PM
The pressure is probably worse in the one price all-you-can eat restaurants like the one you linked to. So when your friends go "one more round", you're tempted to go one more round too (esp if the food is good).
The peer pressure thing is similar for the binge drinking stuff I suppose.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday October 07 2014, @02:15AM
I wonder what age groups they studied. I've noticed more of this "eat as much as your friends" thing in younger people but not so much in more-mature folks, which makes me think it might be instinct-driven behavior derived from the much greater need for calories while one is still growing.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 08 2014, @02:11PM
The young ones use YOLO as an excuse to do risky or dangerous stuff. The older ones use YOLO as an excuse to avoid doing risky/dangerous stuff...
(Score: 1) by m2o2r2g2 on Tuesday October 07 2014, @12:50AM
I have seen a few of these studies, and they all ignore this factor.
If you put the subject next to a large person who only eats a plate of salad, is there an effect?
If you put the subject next to a skinny (ultra fit) person who eats 5x the standard amount, is there an effect?
I am particularly interested in the second question, as I am an elite athlete myself and interested from a coaching viewpoint for team sports - who often have to deal with some members that have composition problems (lose weight/fat, gain weight/muscle).