Behavior at the buffet is quite different between normal weight diners and overweight diners according to a recent study by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab. The research, published in the journal Obesity, finds that compared to normal weight people at Chinese Buffets, overweight individuals sat 16 feet closer to the buffet, faced the food, used larger plates, ate with forks instead of chopsticks, and served themselves immediately instead of browsing the buffet – all factors that may lead them to overeat.
“What’s crazy is that these people are generally unaware of what they’re doing – they’re unaware of sitting closer, facing the food, chewing less, and so on,” notes lead author Brian Wansink, director of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab and author of the book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.
The observational study was conducted by analyzing 213 diners at 11 all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant buffets across the United States. The sample consisted of both normal weight and obese diners, but it did not include any Asian diners.
The authors found that 27% of normal weight diners faced the buffet while eating, whereas 42% of obese diners did. In addition, overweight diners sat about 16 feet closer to the buffet than their normal weight counterparts. Sitting at a booth rather than a table was more common for normal weight diners – 38% vs. 16% – as was browsing the buffet before serving (71% to 33%). Finally, the authors looked at utensil use and found that 24% of normal-weight people used chopsticks, but only 9% of overweight people did.
Study co-author Collin R. Payne (New Mexico State University) says that, “When food is more convenient people tend to eat more.” She adds: “These seemingly subtle differences in behavior and environment may cause people to overeat without even realizing it.”
Eating Behavior and Obesity at Chinese Buffets
Brian Wansink and Collin R. Payne
Obesity 16[8]: 1957-1960.
doi:10.1038/oby.2008.286
Written by: Peter M Crosta