Wellbeing Through Cooking

Global Insights Into Cooking Enjoyment and Eating Together – From “The Gallup World Poll 2022”

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. in collaboration with the US research company Gallup, Inc. (“Gallup”), has conducted a global survey showing the relationship of “cooking enjoyment” and “eating together” with “well-being” and published the survey report on Gallup’s website.

Survey Questionnaire

Thinking about the last 7 days …?

  1. 1On how many days did you eat lunch with someone you know?
  2. 2On how many days did you eat dinner with someone you know?
  3. 3Thinking about the past 7 days, in general did you enjoy cooking? If you didn’t cook in the past 7 days, please just say so.

The survey showed that,

the subjective well-being index increased with the frequency of eating with others and that enjoying cooking and frequently eating with others contribute to subjective well-being.

Survey method Ajinomoto Co. partnered with Gallup using the Gallup World Poll to conduct the first worldwide study on the relationship between cooking enjoyment and eating together with subjective well-being.
About the Gallup World Poll
  • The Gallup World Poll, which has continually surveyed residents in over 150 countries since 2005, regularly measures individuals' well-being.
  • In 2022, the Gallup World Poll included three new questions about “cooking enjoyment” and “the frequency of eating together” in 142 countries.
  • Gallup's well-being questions are included in the United Nations’ “World HappinessReport,” and the OECD’s “Better Life Index.”
Gallup's website

Summary of Survey Results

How much did the world enjoy cooking in 2022?
Cooking Enjoyment and Subjective Wellbeing
Communal Eating and Thriving
Demographics of the Five Types of Home Cooks (A Research Collaboration With Cookpad)

Conclusion

Cooking and dining with people you know, such as family members or friends, may seem like familiar, commonplace activities that bear little consequence on an individual’s overall quality of life. However, the survey results suggest otherwise: Those who enjoy cooking and frequently eat with others not only potentially nourish their body through these actions but their soul as well.

By contrast, solitary diners may not only be at risk of missing out on these potential upsides but also encountering outright negative outcomes. This is perhaps best exemplified by the finding that solo diners in high-income countries are about three times as likely to be suffering in their life evaluation as high-income residents who shared at least one meal with someone they know.

As a greater number of people around the world live alone, often not by choice but due to changing life circumstances which may themselves be difficult— such as the death of a household member or divorce — this is a serious challenge to tackle for policymakers, community advocates and other stakeholders interested in improving the overall wellbeing of their community.