Skinny waitresses are better for your diet

[Ian David]

Might an overweight waitress make you eat more? How the body type of others is sufficient to alter our food consumption

Abstract

This paper investigates how people's food choices can be shaped by the body type of others around them. Using a professionally constructed obesity prosthesis, we show that the body type of a (confederate) server in a taste test study was sufficient to alter both the quantity (Experiment 1) and specific choices (Experiment 2) participants made but that chronic dieters and non-dieters exhibited opposite effects. While non-dieters ate more snacks when the server was thin, dieters ate more when the server was heavy. Dieters were also more persuaded by a heavy (vs. a thin) server, choosing both a healthy and unhealthy snack more often when she recommended it to them. We suggest these results may be attributable to identification with the server.


More:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B8JGB-4YVGP71-1&_user=10&_coverDate=04/30/2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=e8ec30e8c96a126065d6edbc24128875

Hat-tip to: http://twitter.com/drkiki/status/14314316856

[DesertFlower]

1. interesting. nt

[cliffordu]

2. I' ve known a couple of skinny waitresses in my time....

Tough as nails and strong to boot...

My favorite was a foul mouthed ex marine who could pound the Quervo like any good jarhead..

We were a riot. She was more like a small invasion all by herself.

Shoulda been made to wear football helmets.

[zipplewrath]

3. Um, what part do you eat?

I mean, what are the lo-cal parts and how does one prepare them?

[waiting for hope]

4. Ha!

Everything is good with fava beans and a nice Chianti .. :evilgrin:

[damntexdem]

5. Hey, it's not polite to consume the waitress.

No matter HOW SLOW the service is.