Sharing Meals Boosts Life Satisfaction, Global Study Finds

Regularly eating meals with others contributes to higher life satisfaction, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report, which highlights the powerful role of social eating in overall wellbeing.

Globally, the number of shared meals varies widely. In Senegal, individuals share an average of 11.7 out of 14 weekly lunches and dinners — the highest rate worldwide. Sweden follows with 9.5, the U.S. with 7.9, and Japan with 3.7 shared meals per week.

A group of people having lunch | Source: Freepik

Researchers behind the report identified 13 out of 14 as the “optimal” number of shared weekly meals. “Social elements of our lives are as important, if not more important, than the wealth and health aspects,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, report editor and director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

Each additional shared meal leads to a “small uptick in life satisfaction,” De Neve explained, though a slight decline after the 14th meal suggests the need for occasional solitude.

In the U.S., patterns of social eating have shifted significantly. Americans currently share 4.7 dinners and 3.2 lunches weekly, reflecting a 54% increase in dining alone over the past 20 years. De Neve attributes this change largely to evolving workplace norms. “The norm is changing towards essentially eating by yourself or bringing your lunch behind your computer and continuing working,” he added.

A group of friends eating together | Source: Freepik

However, social mealtimes — especially with coworkers — play a critical role in fostering workplace culture and employee wellbeing. “It helps to build a culture of belonging and caring for each other,” De Neve noted.