Eating From a Shared Plate Encourages Cooperation

President Donald Trump’s recent summit with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jung-un ended in embarrassing failure, and Trump’s occasional attempts to forge deals with Congressional Democrats have usually gone just as poorly. New research points to another technique the president might try, one that involves one of his favorite pastimes: eating.

Researchers report that, in three experiments, people who consumed food together from a common plate or bowl were subsequently more cooperative and less competitive, making it easier for them to reach agreement on a contentious issue.

This effect was found among both strangers and friends, according to researchers Kaitlin Woolley of Cornell University and Ayelet Fishbach of the University of Chicago. The findings suggest that “sharing plates can bring together more than just allies,” as they write in the journal Psychological Science.

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