While buying food for one, which means yourself, saves you money and while eating alone is fully accepted in today's society, according to a brand-new study, you will feel much better about yourself if only you will share your food with others.
Charlotte J.S. De Backer, Karolien Poets, Maryanne L. Fisher, and Koen Ponnet published a study that cites the relationship between sharing food during childhood and prosocial behavior when they reached adulthood. The paper is available on Appetite.
Based on their study, people who experienced food sharing within their family during their childhood are more than likely to be more altruistic, or selfless, toward others.
To come up with these findings, they surveyed more than 450 students in Belgium. The questions revolved around their family meals like the frequency of eating home-cooked meals while they were young. The researchers discovered that children who spent more time dining on meals prepared by perhaps their mother or someone else in the family also fared better in terms of selfless behaviors. They spent more time volunteering or readily assisted people who asked for directions or any kind of help.
The researchers further mentioned that these childhood mealtimes provide people the avenue to learn how to socialize and develop a more positive social attitude.
They learned early on the value of respect not only of food but also of others. They also understood the idea of equality or fairness-that is, everyone should be able to eat the same food and that no one should consume everything.
However, the researchers also established the differences between sharing meals and sharing food. It's possible to eat meals together with friends and family and not share the same food. In this scenario, the level of learning prosococial behavior isn't as intense as when they dine on the same food.
