In what scientists might come to call the "prison effect" or "growing up with two older brothers syndrome," a new study shows that kids who eat in large groups tend to consume more than kids who eat in small groups. Well, duh? If they don't wolf down the meal, someone's going to take it!
In essence, the study showed that kids ate more when they were in a group of nine than when they were in a group of three, leading researchers to believe that social arousal, such as noise or activity, led to consuming more food -- although I like to think that feeding one group kale cakes and the other chocolate-dipped heroin pizza had something to do with it.
OK, OK, so they ate the same drug-free food -- but I'm still filing this one under "No S--- Sherlock." Haven't any of these researchers been to a casino buffet, a ballgame or a family reunion? People eat more in large settings. I do, at least. I suppose now I've got science to back me up, but I'm still not sure what to do about it. Restrict diet and table mates?
