People-pleasers 'more likely to overeat'
People who go out of their way to make others feel comfortable in certain social situations often end up overeating, a study suggests.Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in the US discovered that some people eat in response to social pressures - a practice that could seriously harm their personal diet plans.
Lead author and psychologist Julie Exline explained: "People-pleasers feel more intense pressure to eat when they believe that their eating will help another person feel more comfortable.
"Almost everyone has been in a situation in which they've felt this pressure, but people-pleasers seem especially sensitive to it ... They don't want to rock the boat or upset the sense of social harmony."
The findings, which appear in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, indicate that people should try to determine whether they overeat in certain social situations and take steps to limit their calorie consumption.
Rather than avoiding party food altogether, it may be possible to choose healthier snacks - such as vegetable-based canapes instead of crisps and dips.
Dieters should also try to limit their alcohol consumption, which may be achieved by adding soda water to white wine to make a lower-calorie spritzer.
