Male and Female Conformity in Eating Behavior

Abstract

An observational methodology was used to evaluate the differences between men's and women's conformity to a single source of influence. A total of 226 adults (115 men and 111 women) were observed in three cafeteria settings. Diners eating in pairs in which the lead diner selected a dessert were identified based on their sex and their position in dyad. The sex of the lead person (the model), the sex of following person (the subject), and whether the following person conformed to the lead by selecting a dessert were recorded. Analysis indicated a significant difference between men's and women's willingness to conform to one model. Women conformed more often than men when the models were male or female. Moreover, compared with men, they showed an even stronger tendency to conform to the behavior of a same-gender model.