Christmas lunch all wrapped up

What is the secret to a happy Christmas Day lunch? It is one of the most anticipated meals of the year, and yet it can give rise to conflicting feelings: from worrying about whether the turkey will be too dry, to whether there will be a family row before pudding.

Robin Dunbar and colleagues at Oxford University have studied social eating habits in the UK, and their findings can set you on course for one of your happiest Christmas dinners ever.

The researchers recruited 2,000 adults from a nationally representative UK sample. They asked about eating habits and social networks and sampled mood state and life satisfaction levels, then looked at the results in terms of number of meals eaten alone or with others. Participants were also asked to recall the last time they had a meal with someone they didn’t live with.

Almost everyone – 93 per cent – reported eating together with family or friends at least sometimes. The average group size was between two and five people – this figure, Dunbar noted, is virtually identical to the average size of naturally forming conversational groups.

Overall, those who frequently ate with others reported feeling happier more often, more satisfied with life and more trusting of others. When recalling the last meal they’d shared with someone they didn’t live with, most said they felt closer to them afterwards, particularly if it included reminiscences and laughter and modest amounts of alcohol. These activities trigger a variety of hormones which in turn encourage social bonding and make us feel better.

Here are ways to apply these findings:

Irrespective of total number of guests, think in terms of subgroups of three to five. Try to include anyone who may be alone this Christmas. In Dunbar’s sample, for example, almost 70 per cent of respondents had never shared a meal with a neighbour.

When deciding who to seat together, try to include a good conversationalist in every subgroup. You could encourage story-telling by including an old photo of each guest as a place card.

Don’t force it, but look out for ways to invite singing or dancing. In previous work, Dunbar’s team found that both encouraged social bonding.

Moderate servings of alcohol will encourage bonding, but don’t overdo it – it is also a depressant.

Spicy foods might be an interesting addition: they create a burning sensation that triggers the release of endorphins as the body’s natural way to relieve pain. And if you want to ensure this Christmas dinner is particularly memorable, serving something unusual will make that more likely.

Finally, Dunbar found that chocolate had no significant effect on feelings of closeness.

I’d offer it anyway.