People Who Follow This Diet More Likely To Feel Lonely During Holiday Food Gatherings

Since there can be no holiday celebrations without special foods, people who follow restricted diets might feel left out while dining out with friends and dear ones.

Restricted diets have been reported by a new study to be making people feel lonely. People restrict foods due to their health issues, for weight loss, for religious or cultural norms. But, when they are in a situation where they cannot share what others eat, they are more likely to feel lonely.

“Despite being physically present with others, having a food restriction leaves people feeling left out because they are not able to take part in bonding over the meal," News Medical quoted the study’s lead author Kaitlin Woolley, who is an assistant professor of marketing in the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

The researchers have reported the association between food restrictions and feelings of loneliness among both children and adults after reviewing seven different studies. Their findings are the first evidence to prove this phenomenon. For instance, in one experiment, assigning unrestricted people to experience a food restriction increased their feelings of loneliness. This also proved that such feelings of loneliness aren’t driven by non-food issues or limited to picky eaters.

Woolley opined that bonding over meals is an inherently social experience. In older studies, she reported that strangers felt more connected and developed trust over each other while sharing food or eating from the same plate. But, she said the restriction against sharing meals makes people suffer "food worries." It also makes people fret about their food choices and about being judged.

Individuals felt lonelier regardless of how severe their restriction was or whether their restriction was voluntary or imposed. The study also warned that food restrictions and loneliness are on the rise. Woolley said that this is an issue most people aren’t quite aware of.

Although children have been the primary focus of the research by far, food restrictions are being carried into adulthood. Individuals are opting for restricted diets including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free for several reasons including health or ethical reasons. Some people also follow a calorie-restriction diet in order to manage health conditions like diabetes and high cholesterol among others.