Peer Group One of the Biggest Influences on Individual Food Choices: STUDY

Individual food choices are influenced by the people you are eating with as well as how much they are eating, a new study finds.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool confirmed the old adage "you are what you eat" but added that what you eat is also determined by those you are eating with. They looked at 15 studies published in 11 different journals and found the food choices of the people around you help determine the food choices you make for yourself. This means that if a friend is ordering a burger, you are more likely to order the same food or something similar to it. In the same way, if your lunch mate orders a salad, you are also more likely to order the same thing.

Lead researcher Eric Robinson said the study's findings go along with social identity theory - or the theory that a person's sense of who they are is based on their membership within a group. "If a person's sense of self is strongly guided by their identity as a member of their local community and that community is perceived to eat healthy, then that person would be hypothesized to eat healthy in order to maintain a consistent sense of social identity."

The researchers also found that other than helping individuals decide what they eat, social circles also have a great influence on how much you eat. If your friends eat more, you are encouraged to eat more as well. These new findings line up along with other recent studies on the psychological aspects of eating. A 2007 study for instance confirmed that obesity can be contagious. This means that when an individual gains weight, their friends are more likely to do so as well.