In this study we addressed the eating behavior of ambivalent people in different social contexts. Despite the evidence that food quality may play an important role, the literature just considers who the ones we share meals with are. Participants ate apple slices or potato chips, in one of the three experimental conditions: alone, in co-action with friends, or in co-action with strangers. The results confirm the hypothesis by showing that the more ambivalent participants are, the more sensitive to the context effects they become. Eating with friends only increased the consumption of unhealthy food (potato chips), and eating with strangers just increased healthy food consumption (apple). The outcomes are articulated with the theory of social facilitation.
Attitudinal ambivalence; social influence; eating behavior
