Blood glucose levels after a meal are lower when people eat with a companion than when they eat alone, according to a study from researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

The researchers found that after the same standardized carbohydrate meal, participants had smaller glucose spikes and quicker glucose recovery when they were in close social proximity to another person.

Shir Atzil of the Hebrew University Faculty of Social Sciences and colleagues call this principle “social physiology,” in which the human body regulates itself more efficiently in the presence of social partners. They report that the effect extended beyond blood sugar. Social proximity also improved temperature regulation during cold exposure and reduced stress responses in adults and infants. The benefits appeared even without physical touch and were not explained by reduced stress.

“We used to think of the body as an isolated system that regulates itself,” Atzil said. “Our findings show that human physiology is inherently social. Being close to someone you love lowers the physical energy your body spends on regulating itself. This gives us a direct metabolic benefit to being together and reveals a core evolutionary reason why humans form bonds in the first place: our bodies run better together.”

“Blood sugar regulation is not just about what we eat, but who we eat with,” Atzil said. “Our relationships have an active biological role in our physical well-being.”

That said, the researchers noted that social closeness is not a substitute for medical care, nutrition or exercise.

To download the study, published in Science Advances, click here