Could eating with someone you love actually change how your body processes food? The answer is yes, according to a landmark study led by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Sheba Medical Center.

The team examined how social interactions impact blood glucose levels, temperature regulation, and stress among 339 adults.

The peer-reviewed research shows that people’s blood glucose levels dropped significantly lower when they ate with a loved one than when they ate alone.

The study demonstrates a scientific principle that lead researcher Prof. Shir Atzil of Hebrew University’s Department of Psychology has dubbed “social physiology.” She said that basic human metabolic and regulatory systems operate more effectively when social partners are present.

“The role other people play in our lives is not just about comforting or reassuring us when we hurt,” Atzil told The Times of Israel in a Zoom conference call. “We actually support each other for basic physiological processes that are not commonly considered to be socially modulated.”

The study, published Tuesday in Science Advances, was led by first author Monia Masalha, collaborator Dr. Shai Fuchs of Sheba Medical Center, and other Israeli researchers.

The scientists found that after eating, participants had smaller blood sugar spikes and returned to baseline faster when they were with their partner than when they were alone.

They found a similar pattern when they exposed couples to the cold, with a smaller drop in temperature and a quicker recovery in both temperature control and physiological stress.

Atzil said the findings may help explain why humans are so strongly motivated to form close bonds.

High blood glucose is now a major global health problem, Atzil said.

“Identifying a previously unrecognized factor that helps regulate it could open a new direction for health research, and advance practical applications for treating diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions,” she added.

Humans rely on one another for basic metabolic functions

Atzil said she has been studying the biological and neural basis of social bonding for many years.

“I gradually realized that sociality is not just a behavioral strategy for survival,” she said. “It is also a very low-level biological mechanism.”

“As humans, we are deeply reliant on our caregivers,” Atzil explained. “They become crucial because they mean survival, well-being, energy, comfort, and regulation.”

Ten years ago, she began hypothesizing that humans rely on each other not only for comfort or safety, but for........

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