A survey of 2,000 UK adults has shown that almost half of all meals are eaten alone.
Ten of consumers’ 21 weekly meals – on average four breakfasts, four lunches and two evening meals – were eaten without company, according to the research commissioned by national charity The Big Lunch.
The study into the role of food and socialising found that busy lives and hectic work routines mean many meals are now solitary affairs rather than social events with family, friends or work colleagues.
More than half of all workers questioned rarely or never eat lunch with their colleagues, while one fifth said that it was “a rare occurrence” for them to eat their evening meal with other people.
The research suggests that many are at risk of falling into isolation, with more than a third of respondents going a whole week without company at mealtimes. Consumers that often eat with other people are more likely to be satisfied with their life, according to The Big Lunch, which is organising an event in June to encourage neighbours to dine together.
Robin Dunbar, a professor of psychology at Oxford University, said: “The act of eating together triggers the endorphin system in the brain and endorphins play an important role in social bonding in humans.
“Taking the time to sit down together over a meal helps create social networks that in turn have profound effects on our physical and mental health, our happiness and wellbeing, and even our sense of purpose in life.
“But this study shows that, in the UK, we are becoming less socially engaged, with almost 50% of meals eaten alone each week.
“70% of those questioned said they did not feel especially engaged with their local community, yet eating together did result in people feeling emotionally closer to each other.
“In these increasingly fraught times, when community cohesion is ever more important, making time for and joining in communal meals is perhaps the single most important thing we can do – both for our own health and wellbeing, and for that of the wider community.”
The Big Lunch’s Peter Stewart said: “The Big Lunch wanted to examine how often people eat with others. The amount of solitary meals eaten each week is shocking, especially as the study shows that sharing food helps feelings of closeness and friendship.
“The Big Lunch is about bringing people together to have lunch – to make new friends, share stories, to have fun, and form bonds that last.”
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