Give me a brake! (2012)

In modern society, the consumption of food has implications beyond merely providing nutrients and energy needed to sustain life. Food and eating also play a major role in our social lives; we eat with or in the presence of other people. This dissertation covers nine experimental studies that expand our knowledge on how human food intake is affected by the presence of others. In the first part of this thesis, we address the situational factors that can affect modeling effects on eating. The second part addresses some individual factors that might make people more eager to adapt their food intake to that of others. The findings are linked to previous and recently published modeling research in order to present the reader with a clear overview of the conclusions that may be drawn from the existing literature in general, and these situational and individual factors in particular. Finally, two steps are proposed that might inform strategies that are encouraged to improve people’s eating habits in social contexts.