Mindless Eating Mini Research Experiment The Effects of

Mindless Eating Mini Research Experiment The Effects of Social Interactions on Food Consumption By Derek Holmberg, Kacie Reusser, and Nicole Marzolf

1) The Topic and Method of the Experiment We performed an experiment at the dining hall designed to test the effects that sitting with friends has on mindless eating. We spoke to ten students in total, five who ate with friends and five who ate alone. We walked through the dining hall and asked them how many plates of food they had.

2) The Relevance of the Experiment to the General Population This experiment is important to the general population because the findings will help people to see that their food intake can be influenced by sitting with others. They will see that being distracted by friends can cause them to eat more without realizing it. They will also see that their friend’s behaviors can influence how much they eat.

3) Who Was Studied? Ø Subject #1 -Male college student Ø Subject #2 -Female college student Ø Subject #3 -Female college student Ø Subject #4 -Female college student Ø Subject #5 -Female college student Ø Subject #6 -Female college student Ø Subject #7 -Female college student Ø Subject #8 -Female college student Ø Subject #9 -Male college student Ø Subject #10 -Female college student *College student (18 -22 years)

4) What Was the Hypothesis? The Hypothesis: Sitting with friends can influence the amount of food that a person eats. One is also influenced by the eating patters of his or her peers.

5) The Methods of Study We asked ten random people in the dining hall, five who ate with friends and five who ate alone, how many plates of food they ate. We recorded the number of plates the people had and their gender.

6) What Were the Findings of This Report? Subject #1 – Alone – 1 plate Subject #2 – Group - 1 plate Subject #3 - Alone - 2 plates Subject #4 - Alone - 1 plate Subject #5 - Group - 1 plate Subject #6 - Group - 1 plate Subject #7 - Alone - 2 plates Subject #8 - Alone - 1 plate Subject #9 - Group - 2 plates Subject #10 - Group - 2 plates

Were the Results Consistent Throughout the Subjects? Why or Why Not? Yes, the results were consistent since the subjects ate the same amount of food (based on the number of plates).

Did the Findings Match the Hypothesis? Why or Why Not? No, sitting in a group didn’t appear to affect the amount of plates of food a person had. There could be other factors affecting the amount of food eaten, such as appetite, group mentality, and time available to eat.

What Observations can You Make Regarding the Results About the Longwood University Population? We can infer from the results that sitting with friends doesn’t appear to negatively impact the amount of food that a person eats. Since the dining hall is a buffet and there are multiple options for food, students take however much food they want. The number of options available to students and the fact that some students wish to put their food on separate plates could affect the number of plates a student takes as well.

How can these Results Help to Change “Mindless Eating? ” While our results didn’t show a correlation between sitting in groups and mindless eating, our findings still suggest that students should be conscientious about how many plates of food they take, whether they sit with friends or by themselves.