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Dining together makes us happier
1 in 4 usually eats alone. That's a lot, isn't it? Especially when you know that eating together is conducive to our sense of happiness! Learn what you can do to address this within your team...
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Herman Konings, change psychologist and Charlotte De Backer, professor of communication sciences (UAntwerp) point to a rising trend in solitude and eating alone is part of that.
The emerging individualization in a hasty era is a unfortunate trend. We're just busier and having a quick bite to eat is easier than having a nice meal with family or colleagues, and yet... dining together really makes us happier!
The sense of lack of time pushes and draws everyone back and forth. It also involves stress. We all know it, but we just keep going.
Eating together improves your work performance
At Cornell University, they investigated the link between eating lunch together and increasing productivity. Having lunch together creates a greater group atmosphere than when you eat individually. It's more intimate than reading the newspaper in front of your computer or worse, eating between spreadsheets.
Eating together is a primal tradition that greatly strengthens social ties between people (Kevin Kniffin, researcher) Cornell University).
There is no doubt that dining together in the family context is important. But even in the business context, eating together is so much more fun, healthier and brings extra inspiration. So why should you still eat alone?
Fun alternatives
It's good to eat together in the refectory, but it's even more fun if you add some variety.
Why not even a potluck organizing with your team? Potluck literally means “the happiness of the pot”. It originated in the 16thecentury, where they provided food for unexpected guests. In 2020, a potluck is a shared meal where each participant (often self-prepared) brings food that he/she shares with the others. With a minimal cost, you can put a very varied meal on the table. The offer also often gets the conversation started and before you know it, you're talking to colleagues about a topic that isn't immediately work-related.
In addition, you can always exercise after the meal and go for a (short) walk together. This also promotes team cohesion.
What is also often appreciated by employees is the presence of CEO, business manager, management,... at the lunch table. This way, you can connect informally and make it easier to bridge the gap. The threshold is getting a lot smaller and that way, both parties get to know the person behind the colleague.
Healthy with a small G
And despite the fact that healthy cooking shows, healthy cooking workshops and cookbooks are an integral part of society, it doesn't always have to be that healthy. Snacking together, sharing a cake together or eating fries together also ensure a connection in the company/team. Why not? To the question “what makes you happy?” , I often get “chocolate” as one of the answers. So...
Food as a social 'spread'
Food is a social binding agent that builds a network and strengthens relationships between people. And there are many other interesting benefits of eating together:
- The variety in food. It's easy to pick things up from each other. Get to know new ingredients that broaden your view of food.
- The quality of our relationships is increasing
By taking the time to talk to each other, the quality of our relationships increases. The big challenge is to omit the smartphone during these lunch conversations. - Eating is a distraction when conversations become more difficult or questions are asked that are sensitive. The meat or special vegetables then act as a lightning rod.
Maybe it's time we all go back to dinner together?
Come to one of our Happy Brunches and experience how having brunch together during an inspiring moment will increase your sense of happiness.
