Public Spark

Recently, I saw on CBS evening news about weight gain being related to the friends around you. Statistically from the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers wrote that:

• A person’s chances of becoming obese increase by 57%, if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given interval.

• Among pairs of adult siblings, if one sibling became obese, the chance that the other would become obese increased by 40%.

• If one spouse became obese, the likelihood that the other spouse would become obese increased by 37%.

This makes sense because food is very much a social event. Indeed I find myself wanting to eat what my friends eat, especially if it is unhealthy. If your friend suggests a really good candy, wouldn’t you try one too? On the contrary, it can work to the advantage too. My boyfriend and I are trying the healthy approach. We eat healthy things together now. We drink water, eat nuts, etc. I find it easier to eat those things when my boyfriend is eating them too.