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Already noticed how often we eat by ourselves? A quick breakfast on the train, lunch in front of the computer, in front of the TV with a plate on your lap …
Research shows that “eating together” has many benefits!
Eating together strengthens ties
Eating together with family, colleagues or friends is an excellent way to get closer to each other, especially when it happens in a domestic setting.
British researchers had 2,000 adults complete a questionnaire. Participants who frequently ate together felt happier with their lives, had more self-confidence and a larger social group to fall back on.
Dinner appears to be best suited for exchanging stories, reminiscing … At that moment, after a busy day, there is room for some relaxation and togetherness.
Children grow up healthier by eating together
In many families, family members have busy schedules. As a result, it is not always easy to eat together: son has soccer practice, father has a meeting or class a little later, and so on. Not easy! Try to have dinner together as a family on some days. Research has shown that children and adolescents who eat together at least twice a week also eat healthier and have a healthy weight. Eating disorders are also less common in this group. Reason for this is that as a parent, you set a good example during meals, you teach them about food and wise food choices.
Another benefit is that eating together is a time for parents to gauge how their child is doing. Ask and listen to the “today I did stories,” let them express their emotions.
Eating together provides comfort
When babies used to cry, they were often breastfed or given the bottle. This caused us to connect eating with comfort and companionship. In adulthood, eating sweet food can therefore still serve as a kind of self-medication.
At the same time, we can use it to help others. When a friend is in trouble and comes to tell us, we easily offer something to eat. Then eating this together reduces the other person’s stress as well as our own. Researchers call this empathic emotion regulation (EER).
Eating together helps in negotiations
Asking a favor of someone, a raise with your boss …? Do this while eating together.
Research has shown that when people eat together, they feel more comfortable and experience less power struggles. Pretty handy in negotiations anyway!
Eating snacks such as chips, nachos … from the same bowl also works in negotiations. This is because when you eat from the same bowl, the norm is that you grant the other person enough food. Besides, you don’t want to be looked at as a grabber.
