A question for all those hyper-nice, socially aware, dream dinner party guests out there – have you ever considered that your people-pleasing tendencies may be making you fat?

A new study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University in the US has shown a clear correlation between instances of sociotropy (people-pleasing characteristics) and overeating in social situations.

In the study, 101 college students were questioned about their social behaviour. As predicted, concerns about hurting other people, frequently putting others’ needs before your own and being sensitive to criticism all emerged as key traits pointing to sociotropy.

Then the researchers played a little trick. After completing the first part of the assessment, an actor pretending to be another participant was offered a bowl of sweets, took a generous handful and then offered the candy to the real student participant next to him.

It turned out that participants who ranked high on the people-pleasing scale usually took more candy. What, to make the other guy feel better about being greedy?

[Source: Time]