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According to a study, observing others express a clear dislike for vegetables may lead onlookers to also develop a dislike for them.
According to the study, watching others’ facial reactions while eating raw broccoli can impact our own taste preferences for the vegetable.
People acquire an understanding of which actions are beneficial and which are not by observing others.
Using this information, individuals may make decisions on how to behave or what to eat. In regards to the latter, people may look to others as examples to determine their own food choices and portions.
Our research indicates that observing someone consume a raw vegetable with a negative facial expression decreases adult women’s preference for that vegetable, but does not affect their willingness to consume it.
Dr. Katie Edwards from Aston University, merging
According to experts, this is known as social modeling and is considered one of the strongest influences on eating habits.
Researchers conducted a study to determine if observing the facial expressions of others while eating uncooked broccoli had an impact on the preferences and cravings of young females for the vegetable.
According to lead researcher Dr. Katie Edwards from Aston University School of Psychology, observing someone eating a raw vegetable with a negative expression can decrease adult women’s preference for that vegetable, but does not impact their desire to consume it.
“This demonstrates the impact of monitoring adults’ food aversion on their eating habits.”
The research involved over 200 women between the ages of 18 and 30 who viewed a video featuring various unknown adults eating raw broccoli.
While consuming their food, the models exhibited either a positive (smiling), neutral, or negative (disgust-like) facial expression.
Past studies indicate that individuals are more inclined to mimic behavior if they witness positive results, but the opposite is true if they observe negative consequences.
Yet, the latest research found that this relationship was only partially detected.
The study discovered that seeing others consume broccoli while making unhappy facial expressions led to a bigger decrease in how much the participants liked the food. However, there was no impact on their desire to eat it.
Dr. Edwards stated that observing others consuming raw vegetables with a positive expression did not result in an increase in adults’ preference or desire to eat vegetables.
One potential explanation proposed by scientists for these results is that avoiding any type of food, regardless of whether it is typically enjoyed or disliked, that is perceived as repulsive can prevent us from consuming something unpleasant or dangerous.
One possible explanation could be that people may view smiling while eating as an uncommon way of expressing enjoyment of a particular food.
According to Dr. Edwards, observing someone eat a raw vegetable with a positive facial expression may not be an effective method for encouraging adults to eat more vegetables.
Although the study looked at adults, the researchers suggest the findings might also apply to children.
According to Dr. Edwards, if a child observes their parent displaying disgust while eating vegetables, it could potentially lead to a decline in the child’s acceptance of vegetables.
The current research, published in Frontiers in Psychology, also included the viewing of brief video clips by the female participants instead of observing people eat in their presence.
In the future, the researchers plan to investigate the impact of observing live food consumption on eating habits.
Source: independent.co.uk
