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Want To Lose Weight? Avoid Skinny Overeaters
2009-09-29
If you're looking to lose weight, here's a simple tip: don't dine with the skinny dude who stuffs his face. According to a study that will appear in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should steer clear of eating with heavier people who order large portions, it's the beanpoles with the big appetites you really need to avoid. "They're big trouble," says Gavan Fitzsimons, a marketing professor at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, and one of the study's co-authors. To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack, either M&Ms or granola. Another "participant," who was actually an actor hired by the research team, grabbed her food first, in full view of the subjects at the snack line. In her natural state, the phony participant weighed 105 pounds, and wore a size 0. But in about half the cases she wore a prosthetic designed by an Academy-Award winning costume studio. The fat suit increased her weight to 180 pounds, and puffed her clothes to a size 16. (See the top 10 food trends of 2008.) Both the fat and skinny versions of the actor scooped five tablespoons of food (approximately 71 grams of granola, or 108 grams of M&Ms) onto a plate. That's a heap. The subjects followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have had they eaten alone. However, the subjects took significantly higher portions when the actor was thin. During the movie - a five-minute clip from the Will Smith film I, Robot - they also ate significantly more if the actor was skinny. "It's our intuition sometimes that you don't want to eat with big people, because you're afraid you'll eat more," says Fitzsimmons. "In fact, the opposite is true." What happens when a thin person takes a small portion? Again, we tend to mimic those around us. For the second test, in one scenario the actor took two pieces of small candy from a set of snack bowls. In the other scenario, she took 30 pieces. Under the "lots of food" condition, the results mimicked the first test: subjects grabbed, and ate, significantly more candy when the actor was thin. In the "little food" condition, the subjects took the lead of the actor and restrained their candy consumption. However, in this scenario it's the obese lunch date that poses a threat: the subjects ate more if the actor was wearing a fat suit. (Watch TIME's video "How to Lose Weight Like a Real Loser.") Each of these tests illustrates the psychological trait known as "anchoring." Humans tend to latch onto one specific piece of information when making decisions, in this case the habits of the actor. The social environment is extremely influential. If this fellow study subject is going to take an above-average number of M&Ms, so will I. Call it the "I'll have what she's having" effect. (See pictures of what makes you eat more food.) However, we will adjust the influence of the social environment based on how we perceive the people surrounding us. So, if an obese person is helping himself to a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because, well, I see the ultimate results of his eating habits, and I don't want the stigma associated with being overweight. But if the thin person eats a lot, why shouldn't I follow suit? If he can gorge herself and still keep trim, why can't I? At the same time, if a thin dining companion orders a small portion, I too will hold back because I want to mirror the habits of a body type to which many people aspire. However, if an overweight persons orders light, I'll make an adjustment. Obviously, small portions aren't working for him. If tiny meals don't help you stay trim, what's the point? Get me the cheeseburger deluxe. Read "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin." Read "The Working Person's Diet: Too Busy to Eat Right" View this article on Time.com Related articles on Time.com: - Want To Lose Weight? Avoid Skinny Overeaters
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