Alone but together: Cloud‐based commensality benefits physical and mental health

Abstract

Cloud‐based commensality refers to an eating scenario in which people are eating and videoconferencing with remote co‐diners. We report two experiments designed to investigate whether cloud‐based commensality can exert a positive effect on individuals' physical and mental health. In Experiment 1, the participants were asked to rate their expectations concerning their feelings when eating in the context of cloud‐based commensality or solitary eating and to make food choices in each eating scenario. In Experiment 2, romantic couples were recruited to have meals in different eating scenarios in the laboratory and were asked to rate their emotions and close relationships. The results of the two experiments revealed that when engaging in cloud‐based commensality, participants reduced their intake of meat dishes but did not increase their choices of meat dishes compared to solitary eating. Moreover, the results suggest that cloud‐based commensality can alleviate negative feelings and promote positive emotions during periods of quarantine or non‐quarantine and enhance close relationships for romantic couples. These findings demonstrate that cloud‐based commensality is beneficial for individuals' physical and mental health and provide practical implications for utilizing social eating to promote healthy eating.

Characterizing Healthy Dietary Practices in Japan: Insights from a 2024 Nationwide Survey and Cluster Analysis

“…This shift presents both challenges and opportunities for public health strategies, suggesting that interventions leveraging technology to promote healthy eating should be implemented, while also considering the digital divide. Our research, focusing on the Japanese context, synergizes with international findings by Wang (2023) and Spence (2019), which explore the impact of digital communal eating and technological interventions on food choices and mental health [38,39]. These studies suggest that technology-mediated social dining experiences can mitigate loneliness and foster social connections, thereby enhancing both physical and mental health [38,39].…”

“…Our research, focusing on the Japanese context, synergizes with international findings by Wang (2023) and Spence (2019), which explore the impact of digital communal eating and technological interventions on food choices and mental health [38,39]. These studies suggest that technology-mediated social dining experiences can mitigate loneliness and foster social connections, thereby enhancing both physical and mental health [38,39].…”