Eating lunch and dinner with others brings an 'uptick in life satisfaction'—here's how many meals you should share each week

CNBC

27-04-2025

Sharing meals with others is a global tradition.
In Senegal, out of 14 lunches and dinners per week, people share 11.7 meals, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report. In Sweden, people share 9.5 meals per week, in the U.S. people share 7.9 meals per week and in Japan, people share 3.7 meals per week.
And it turns out the number of meals you eat with others has an effect on your overall wellbeing. In fact, "there's an optimal level of social eating," says Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, editor of the report and director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.
Here's how much mealtime socializing to aim for per week and why it's so important.
Senegal has the highest rate of social eating, but no country in the world hits the optimal level of shared meals, the World Happiness Report found.
That's because "the optimal number is 13 out of 14," says De Neve, adding that as far as our overall wellbeing goes, "social elements of our lives are as important, if not more important, than the wealth and health aspects."
Researchers found "there's a small uptick in life satisfaction around the world" with every additional lunch or dinner shared, he says.
That dip after the 14th meal together does indicate the need for a bit of alone time but, overall, humans are social creatures in need of regular interaction.
Researchers found that Americans eat 4.7 dinners together and 3.2 lunches together. That's a "54% increase in dining alone in the past two decades," De Neve says.
The change could be happening over lunchtime, specifically. "My sense is that has to do with the workplace," he says, "where the norm is changing towards essentially eating by yourself or bringing your lunch behind your computer and continuing working."
But that time with your colleagues is crucial. Beyond just the personal boost in wellbeing, it helps to build "a culture of belonging and caring for each other" in the workplace, says De Neve.
When you're planning out your workday, make sure to pencil in that time with your coworkers — and it doesn't just have to be over lunch. "Social interactions around coffee or tea" work, too, he says.