Socialization of Mealtime

Socialization of MealtimeBy Ammas Tanveer

Questions:

How does the size of a group during mealtime affect individual satisfaction with said meal?

How does eating a meal at home differ with eating in a restaurant in terms of type of food and amount?

Does cooking for one differ in nutritional value opposed to for a group?

How does increased conversation affect how an individual eats/views mealtime?

MethodologyChoose a set of locations on/around campus where people regularly eat in groups: EMU Fishbowl, Qdoba, Caspians, Dux Bistro (LLC), Delta Tau Delta Fraternity Visit those locations at the same time during a given week and observe the sociability of said groups for 30 minutes: 1pm Monday-Friday (1/23-1/26)Approach Groups that are comprised of one, three, or greater than three person(s) and ask them to rate their satisfaction with their meal from 1-5 (1 being poor, 3 good, 5 excellent)Also ask groups the following questions:"if they enjoyed their meal", "if they enjoy socializing when eating","If they eat more or less at home/when eating out"; Alternatively ask the groups observed in the Fraternity dining hall:"does cooking for more people increase individual satisfaction with their meal"

Observations

the groups of 2 and groups of 4 or more individuals tended to be the most social, but as group size increased the tendency for individuals to check out of conversations and become preoccupied with distractions like their phones or a laptop appeared greater as well. I received a combination of responses that ranged from preferences to eat alone at the given time to individuals who stated that they needed to have meals with other people regularly, people who enjoyed their meal and were in a group stated that socializing increased satisfaction with their meal regularly with only one exception occurring at my fraternity house. The most popular answer to the question of how quantity of food consumed changed from eating at home to eating out was eating at home tended to result in more food consumed due to more lax dining times that involved binge eating, whereas people stated that they tended to eat quicker when out due to time constraints and less because of cost. When speaking to members of my fraternity that cook their own meals regularly, I found several different responses but slightly more positive reviews of cooking for others, in terms of meal satisfaction than for oneself, as 5 out of the 7 people I interviewed at my fraternity house agreed with the prior sentiment, with the other 2 individuals reporting that they enjoyed cooking for themselves and the other stating that they did not like to cook

Data

Satisfaction Rating (1-5)Times Specific Group Sizes were Observed

Discussion

Larger groups tend to be more social during mealtime and general satisfaction is greater

People, on average, reported that they ate more at home due to binge eating and cost of eating out

Fraternity members that cook stated that they ate healthier when they cooked for themselves and 5/7 members interviews said they liked cooking for others

Most people reported that they enjoy talking with others and a good conversation improves satisfaction

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