Commensality is the act of eating and drinking together at the same table, as in the nightly family dinner. It is a social activity that creates and cements relationships and establishes that group’s ‘norm’.
The Importance of Family Dinners
When you think of the term ‘family dinner’ what image comes to mind?
Our lifestyle has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Time spent together at the family dinner table has decreased, replaced with simplified quick meals, fast foods or grazing. However, the act of eating is more than a nutritional need. Shared eating provides interaction with others that establishes and strengthens social ties, helps in building personal relationships and provides a form of social bond and identity (3).
When families dine together, there are many positive outcomes, but what are they?
8 Reasons to Enjoy Family Dinner
1. Socialisation
For many families, the main meal is the only time for the whole family to interact (4), (5). We need to eat to survive but dining together also satisfies a need for interaction with others.
2. Nutrition
Nutrition is improved as socialising, social support, and social control promote healthy choices and reduce unhealthy lifestyles. Eating alone outside the influence of others may lead to unhealthy eating behaviours such as overeating, undereating, or unhealthy food choices leading to diet-related illnesses (6), (7).
Most of the research shows that countries and families who engage in dinner together often have lower obesity rates. For example, France and Italy who engage in shared eating more than other European countries, have a lower obesity rate. In France, they eat with others 80% of the time and have an obesity rate of 10%, while in the United Kingdom, families only eat together 17.6% of the time and have an obesity rate of 30% (1).
Lonely people are said to 'eat their emotions' and may overeat when in private. Multiple studies on eating habits of obese people found participants tend to adjust their intake to behave 'appropriately' and conform to others habits at the table. When in public, they consume much less than when they are home alone, where they can eat without judgment. This indicates social control is exerted upon eating behaviour and plays an essential part in portion sizes consumed by individuals (1).
3. Feeling of belonging
Eating together implies and encourages a bond. Even when they are not eating, members share experiences, keep each other company and engage in lively conversations. Sharing food is one way of maintaining identity, and regular eating within that kinship group appears to be part of that process.
4. Better mental health in adolescents
A systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency and psychosocial outcomes in youth, found that regular family meals reduce the rates of disordered eating, alcohol and substance abuse. Violent behaviour, feelings of depression and suicidal tendencies were also reduced. The review found a positive relationship between frequent family dinners and increased self-esteem and school success, with females having more positive results than teen males (8).
5. Celebrations bring a distant family together
Especially after two years of Covid restrictions, bringing families together is even more critical. Whether your relatives live over the border, or your family is usually dispersed in their own busy lives, festive occasions bring families together. A classic example of this is Thanksgiving in the United States, where food is a central part of the gathering, and it is typically among close associates and family (9).
6. The anticipation of a family gathering induces endorphins which increases resilience
A recent study found that anticipating a positive event such as a family gathering or a fantastic meal, induced positive emotions both during and after the event. This in turn, improved ones resilience to stress and ability to cope in the weeks leading up to, and after the anticipated event (10).
7. Establishing social norms in children
Meals regulate social lives, behaviours and table manners. Children who have regular family meals have improved long term physical and mental health benefits, with improved social skills and less aggressive (1), (10).
8. Being social can literally save your life.
Strong social relationships can increase the likelihood of surviving a heart attack by as much as 50% compared with individuals whose relationships are weaker (10).
Enjoying a meal with family assists bonding and developing healthy eating habits, but it does not happen for valid reasons in many homes. Whilst busy schedules and complicated lives make family dinners a challenge, families should try to prioritise meals together as the benefits of healthier eating, social engagement, and better quality of living outweigh the negatives.
Food is a gift that should be enjoyed, and it tastes better with friends (and that’s not just my opinion, it is backed by research).
As J.R.R. Tolkien said, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
When you think of the term ‘family dinner’ what image comes to mind?
Our lifestyle has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Time spent together at the family dinner table has decreased, replaced with simplified quick meals, fast foods or grazing. However, the act of eating is more than a nutritional need. Shared eating provides interaction with others that establishes and strengthens social ties, helps in building personal relationships and provides a form of social bond and identity (3).
When families dine together, there are many positive outcomes, but what are they?
8 Reasons to Enjoy Family Dinner
1. Socialisation
For many families, the main meal is the only time for the whole family to interact (4), (5). We need to eat to survive but dining together also satisfies a need for interaction with others.
2. Nutrition
Nutrition is improved as socialising, social support, and social control promote healthy choices and reduce unhealthy lifestyles. Eating alone outside the influence of others may lead to unhealthy eating behaviours such as overeating, undereating, or unhealthy food choices leading to diet-related illnesses (6), (7).
Most of the research shows that countries and families who engage in dinner together often have lower obesity rates. For example, France and Italy who engage in shared eating more than other European countries, have a lower obesity rate. In France, they eat with others 80% of the time and have an obesity rate of 10%, while in the United Kingdom, families only eat together 17.6% of the time and have an obesity rate of 30% (1).
Lonely people are said to 'eat their emotions' and may overeat when in private. Multiple studies on eating habits of obese people found participants tend to adjust their intake to behave 'appropriately' and conform to others habits at the table. When in public, they consume much less than when they are home alone, where they can eat without judgment. This indicates social control is exerted upon eating behaviour and plays an essential part in portion sizes consumed by individuals (1).
3. Feeling of belonging
Eating together implies and encourages a bond. Even when they are not eating, members share experiences, keep each other company and engage in lively conversations. Sharing food is one way of maintaining identity, and regular eating within that kinship group appears to be part of that process.
4. Better mental health in adolescents
A systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency and psychosocial outcomes in youth, found that regular family meals reduce the rates of disordered eating, alcohol and substance abuse. Violent behaviour, feelings of depression and suicidal tendencies were also reduced. The review found a positive relationship between frequent family dinners and increased self-esteem and school success, with females having more positive results than teen males (8).
5. Celebrations bring a distant family together
Especially after two years of Covid restrictions, bringing families together is even more critical. Whether your relatives live over the border, or your family is usually dispersed in their own busy lives, festive occasions bring families together. A classic example of this is Thanksgiving in the United States, where food is a central part of the gathering, and it is typically among close associates and family (9).
6. The anticipation of a family gathering induces endorphins which increases resilience
A recent study found that anticipating a positive event such as a family gathering or a fantastic meal, induced positive emotions both during and after the event. This in turn, improved ones resilience to stress and ability to cope in the weeks leading up to, and after the anticipated event (10).
7. Establishing social norms in children
Meals regulate social lives, behaviours and table manners. Children who have regular family meals have improved long term physical and mental health benefits, with improved social skills and less aggressive (1), (10).
8. Being social can literally save your life.
Strong social relationships can increase the likelihood of surviving a heart attack by as much as 50% compared with individuals whose relationships are weaker (10).
Enjoying a meal with family assists bonding and developing healthy eating habits, but it does not happen for valid reasons in many homes. Whilst busy schedules and complicated lives make family dinners a challenge, families should try to prioritise meals together as the benefits of healthier eating, social engagement, and better quality of living outweigh the negatives.
Food is a gift that should be enjoyed, and it tastes better with friends (and that’s not just my opinion, it is backed by research).
As J.R.R. Tolkien said, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
The Ambient Menu
Laura Drexler, during her Masters of Audiology research project, investigated whether hearing loss affected commensality, and if so, how?
What became overwhelmingly apparent during the interviews was that people with hearing loss didn’t mention the family dinner; they all spoke about how they struggled at social occasions in restaurants. That one situation was where they felt isolated, missed out on conversation, felt exhausted from increased listening effort, and would rather avoid that situation all together than catch up with friends.
This is where the Ambient Menu was born.
We believe everyone has the right to partake in good conversation, eat good food, and receive good service. These three key ‘ingredients’ make for a memorable experience.
The Ambient Menu is a web app that connects people who struggle to hear in background noise to an acoustically friendly restaurant. We aim to act as a conduit to connect the ideal restaurant to the ideal consumer, encouraging a symbiotic relationship between the two. This encourages socially active living for people with hearing loss, improving their lives while supporting local restaurants and the community.
If you are looking for a place to eat out where you can see and hear your guests, check out www.ambientmenu.com.au.
Laura Drexler, during her Masters of Audiology research project, investigated whether hearing loss affected commensality, and if so, how?
What became overwhelmingly apparent during the interviews was that people with hearing loss didn’t mention the family dinner; they all spoke about how they struggled at social occasions in restaurants. That one situation was where they felt isolated, missed out on conversation, felt exhausted from increased listening effort, and would rather avoid that situation all together than catch up with friends.
This is where the Ambient Menu was born.
We believe everyone has the right to partake in good conversation, eat good food, and receive good service. These three key ‘ingredients’ make for a memorable experience.
The Ambient Menu is a web app that connects people who struggle to hear in background noise to an acoustically friendly restaurant. We aim to act as a conduit to connect the ideal restaurant to the ideal consumer, encouraging a symbiotic relationship between the two. This encourages socially active living for people with hearing loss, improving their lives while supporting local restaurants and the community.
If you are looking for a place to eat out where you can see and hear your guests, check out www.ambientmenu.com.au.
Laura Biggs
About Laura
Ambient Menu creator Laura Drexler spent over 20 years in South Australian Ambulance as a paramedic. Her interest in audiology was sparked by several key moments, such as attending several patients with vestibular issues such as vertigo and suffering communication issues.
Her husband also started experiencing vestibular problems, including occupational noise-induced hearing loss with debilitating tinnitus. He received great relief from visiting several audiologists, and Laura decided that was a career she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing. She undertook her Masters of Audiology whilst still working as a paramedic and fitness instructor.
Whilst doing her masters research project, her team investigated the topic of commensality, something close to her heart because of her love of food. What they found during their research was what led to the Ambient Menu.
Laura believes everyone should enjoy the wonderful food Adelaide has to offer, as well as the social engagement that comes from sharing that meal as much as she does. Previously, no one in the world has created an app that rates restaurants on their ambience level, while accrediting the places that are conversationally friendly.
Laura continues to work as an adult rehabilitation audiologist at an independent clinic in Adelaide’s South whilst doing extra studies in acoustic consultancy. Her main focus is educating her patients on communication strategies so they feel confident and empowered in engaging in conversation once again. She thoroughly enjoys seeing the significant improvements her personalised advice on communication strategies or hearing devices (if required) can make to her patients’ lives.
Qualifications
Awards
Ambient Menu creator Laura Drexler spent over 20 years in South Australian Ambulance as a paramedic. Her interest in audiology was sparked by several key moments, such as attending several patients with vestibular issues such as vertigo and suffering communication issues.
Her husband also started experiencing vestibular problems, including occupational noise-induced hearing loss with debilitating tinnitus. He received great relief from visiting several audiologists, and Laura decided that was a career she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing. She undertook her Masters of Audiology whilst still working as a paramedic and fitness instructor.
Whilst doing her masters research project, her team investigated the topic of commensality, something close to her heart because of her love of food. What they found during their research was what led to the Ambient Menu.
Laura believes everyone should enjoy the wonderful food Adelaide has to offer, as well as the social engagement that comes from sharing that meal as much as she does. Previously, no one in the world has created an app that rates restaurants on their ambience level, while accrediting the places that are conversationally friendly.
Laura continues to work as an adult rehabilitation audiologist at an independent clinic in Adelaide’s South whilst doing extra studies in acoustic consultancy. Her main focus is educating her patients on communication strategies so they feel confident and empowered in engaging in conversation once again. She thoroughly enjoys seeing the significant improvements her personalised advice on communication strategies or hearing devices (if required) can make to her patients’ lives.
Qualifications
- Masters of Audiology, Flinders University
- Audiology Australia Accredited
- Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedic) Victoria University
Awards
- 2022 Early Career Alumni Award, Flinders University, for significant research that promotes and protects hearing health and the development of innovative communication strategies, including the Ambient Menu.
- The Help Awards 2022: AMP Health Care Hero
References
1 Fischler, C. (2011). Commensality, society and culture. Social Science Information, 50(3–4), 528–548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018411413963
2 Meiselman, H.L, Johnson, J.L, Reeve, W, & Crouch, J.E. (2000). Demonstrations of the influence of the eating environment on food acceptance. Appetite, 35(3), 231-237.
3 Giacoman, C. (2016). The dimensions and role of commensality: A theoretical model drawn from the significance of communal eating among adults in Santiago, Chile. Appetite, 107, 460-470.
4 Oliveira, Ronaldo Gonçalves, Ferreira, Francisco Romão, & Prado, Shirley Donizete. (2017). Eating at the Table: Social Inclusion of a Deaf Person by their Family through Commensality. Demetra: Alimentação, Nutrição E Saúde, 12(4), Demetra: Alimentação, Nutrição e Saúde, 2017-07-13, Vol.12 (4).
5 Kniffin, Kevin M, Wansink, Brian, Devine, Carol M, & Sobal, Jeffery. (2015). Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters. Human Performance, 28(4), 281-306.
6 Sidenvall, Birgitta, Nydahl, Margaretha, & Fjellström, Christina. (2000). The Meal as a Gift—The Meaning of Cooking Among Retired Women. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 19(4), 405-423.
7 Donkin, Angela J.M, Johnson, Angela E, Lilley, Jeanette M, Morgan, Kevin, Neale, Roger J, Page, Robert M, & Silburn, Richard L. (1998). Gender and Living Alone as Determinants of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among the Elderly Living at Home in Urban Nottingham. Appetite, 30(1), 39-51.
8 Harrison, M. E., Norris, M. L., Obeid, N., Fu, M., Weinstangel, H., & Sampson, M. (2015). Systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 61(2), e96–e106.
9 Kniffin, Kevin M, Wansink, Brian, Devine, Carol M, & Sobal, Jeffery. (2015). Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters. Human Performance, 28(4), 281-306.
10 University of Montreal. (2017, December 14). Eating together as a family helps children feel better, physically and mentally: Long-term effects of family meals in early childhood. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214092322.htm
1 Fischler, C. (2011). Commensality, society and culture. Social Science Information, 50(3–4), 528–548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018411413963
2 Meiselman, H.L, Johnson, J.L, Reeve, W, & Crouch, J.E. (2000). Demonstrations of the influence of the eating environment on food acceptance. Appetite, 35(3), 231-237.
3 Giacoman, C. (2016). The dimensions and role of commensality: A theoretical model drawn from the significance of communal eating among adults in Santiago, Chile. Appetite, 107, 460-470.
4 Oliveira, Ronaldo Gonçalves, Ferreira, Francisco Romão, & Prado, Shirley Donizete. (2017). Eating at the Table: Social Inclusion of a Deaf Person by their Family through Commensality. Demetra: Alimentação, Nutrição E Saúde, 12(4), Demetra: Alimentação, Nutrição e Saúde, 2017-07-13, Vol.12 (4).
5 Kniffin, Kevin M, Wansink, Brian, Devine, Carol M, & Sobal, Jeffery. (2015). Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters. Human Performance, 28(4), 281-306.
6 Sidenvall, Birgitta, Nydahl, Margaretha, & Fjellström, Christina. (2000). The Meal as a Gift—The Meaning of Cooking Among Retired Women. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 19(4), 405-423.
7 Donkin, Angela J.M, Johnson, Angela E, Lilley, Jeanette M, Morgan, Kevin, Neale, Roger J, Page, Robert M, & Silburn, Richard L. (1998). Gender and Living Alone as Determinants of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among the Elderly Living at Home in Urban Nottingham. Appetite, 30(1), 39-51.
8 Harrison, M. E., Norris, M. L., Obeid, N., Fu, M., Weinstangel, H., & Sampson, M. (2015). Systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 61(2), e96–e106.
9 Kniffin, Kevin M, Wansink, Brian, Devine, Carol M, & Sobal, Jeffery. (2015). Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters. Human Performance, 28(4), 281-306.
10 University of Montreal. (2017, December 14). Eating together as a family helps children feel better, physically and mentally: Long-term effects of family meals in early childhood. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214092322.htm
