Are you aware that our behaviour patterns very often reflect those of our friends? The theory is that we turn out to be very much like the individuals we hang around with. For the most part this is interpreted as we hold the same belief structure or values; we quite often support the same sports clubs and political parties as our friends, for instance.
It's now becoming apparent as well that this common theme might extend to weight. We will eat more when in the company of good friends who eat more. A small study undertaken in America found that overweight kids and teenagers ate more when they were eating with a friend who was also overweight, than when they ate with a normal weight child.
Everyone in the group actually devoured more when they were in the company of friends, regardless of their size. But pairing up overweight friends led to the biggest consumption of all. The study was undertaken by researchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo. It highlighted the role friends play in influencing how much youngsters eat.
Candidly it's no great revelation that many ate more when in the company of friends. That would doubtless be the same if adults had been surveyed. What's more, as our friends don't usually challenge what we do, we assume that means they condone our behaviour. Subconsciously we're placing the permission ball in someone else's court.
Young people of all sizes were studied for forty five minutes. A number were teamed up with strangers, and a number with friends. Each pair had a mix of healthy and snack-type food, and entertainment.
With each of the pairs, the ones who knew each other before the experiment got through more food than the ones who didn't. However, the heavier friends tucked away the most. And the differences were quite significant.
An average of seven hundred and thirty eight calories was eaten by overweight teens who paired with a friend. But the overweight youngsters with slimmer friends ate nearly three hundred calories less. The slimmer ones ate a fairly stable five hundred calories whatever the size of their friends. This ties in with the commonly held view that in early teens many kids' decisions to smoke or drink alcohol are strongly influenced by what their friends do.
This led the researchers to suggest that young people's eating habits are largely determined by their social network. Yet this power of association can be beneficial, as positive influences are just as possible as negative ones. Healthy nutrition then should be part of every child's curriculum.
It's now becoming apparent as well that this common theme might extend to weight. We will eat more when in the company of good friends who eat more. A small study undertaken in America found that overweight kids and teenagers ate more when they were eating with a friend who was also overweight, than when they ate with a normal weight child.
Everyone in the group actually devoured more when they were in the company of friends, regardless of their size. But pairing up overweight friends led to the biggest consumption of all. The study was undertaken by researchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo. It highlighted the role friends play in influencing how much youngsters eat.
Candidly it's no great revelation that many ate more when in the company of friends. That would doubtless be the same if adults had been surveyed. What's more, as our friends don't usually challenge what we do, we assume that means they condone our behaviour. Subconsciously we're placing the permission ball in someone else's court.
Young people of all sizes were studied for forty five minutes. A number were teamed up with strangers, and a number with friends. Each pair had a mix of healthy and snack-type food, and entertainment.
With each of the pairs, the ones who knew each other before the experiment got through more food than the ones who didn't. However, the heavier friends tucked away the most. And the differences were quite significant.
An average of seven hundred and thirty eight calories was eaten by overweight teens who paired with a friend. But the overweight youngsters with slimmer friends ate nearly three hundred calories less. The slimmer ones ate a fairly stable five hundred calories whatever the size of their friends. This ties in with the commonly held view that in early teens many kids' decisions to smoke or drink alcohol are strongly influenced by what their friends do.
This led the researchers to suggest that young people's eating habits are largely determined by their social network. Yet this power of association can be beneficial, as positive influences are just as possible as negative ones. Healthy nutrition then should be part of every child's curriculum.
About the Author:
(C) Scott Edwards. Browse WeightLossDietWar.com for great diet advice on slimming tea and weight loss management.
0 comments:
Post a Comment