Abstract

This study sought to investigate whether eating conditions affected the consumption and deliciousness of food. A total of 16 healthy university students were recruited and ate two types of meals (each with 770 kcal) similar to that provided in school lunches under two conditions (e.g., talking vs. silence while eating with group members) in a cross-over design. The amount of food left by the participants and the time needed to finish eating were measured. After eating, participants evaluated the deliciousness and enjoyment of each meal using a visual analog scale. Notably, no significant differences in the eating rate and palatability were observed between the four conditions. However, significant differences in enjoyment and feeding time were observed. These findings highlights the importance of ensuring that sufficient time with other people is spent when eating to realize the benefits of eating in a group.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.