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Eating alone can lead to unhappiness: Study
Researchers who thought the drop was due to seasonal changes were quite baffled to learn that the reason for people’s unhappiness was the fact they were eating meals alone.
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The data also show that healthy forms of social contact are associated with higher happiness scores. (Shutterstock/-)
A study suggests that eating alone is one of the biggest causes of unhappiness.
A survey of 8,000 British adults conducted by the Oxford Economics and National Center for Social Research to bring new data to the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index seems to indicate that the nation’s mood has been in decline over the last couple of months, with a 0.5 point drop.
Researchers who thought the drop was due to seasonal changes were quite baffled to learn that the reason for people’s unhappiness was the fact they were eating meals alone. The data point to a 7.9-point difference between those who eat in company and those who eat alone.
Excluding mental illness, it is one of the most common reasons for unhappiness, with other reasons being a lack of physical mobility and learning disability.
Read also: Solo dining, karaoke strike chord among solitary Japanese consumers
According to the Independent, researchers believe that this finding emphasizes how important interacting with other people is to improve happiness. The data also show that healthy forms of social contact are associated with higher happiness scores.
“The quality of our relationships and spending time together physically, not digitally, can go a long way towards improving how well we’re living: Nothing beats the power of simple human interaction,” said Mike Coupe, group chief executive officer at Sainsbury’s, in a statement. “Instead of adding to our day-to-day pressures with numerous digital interactions, we should make time to get together, eat together and share together.” (ely/wng)
