Ajit Karn
Benefits of family dinners: Research on the physical, mental, and emotional advantages of regular family dinners supports our belief in the “magic” of family dinners.
Over three decades of research have demonstrated that regular family meals provide numerous physical, social-emotional, and academic advantages. Although some of these benefits can be obtained through other activities, dining together is the only known activity that provides all of them simultaneously.
We recommend combining food, enjoyment, and conversation at mealtimes because these three elements are the recipe for a warm, positive family dinner — the type of environment that makes these scientifically demonstrated benefits feasible. Describing here Benefits of family dinners.
Some of the specific benefits of family dinners are:
- Better academic performance
- Higher self-esteem
- Greater sense of resilience
- Lower risk of substance abuse
- Lower risk of teen pregnancy
- Lower risk of depression
- Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
- Lower rates of obesity
- Better cardiovascular health in teens
- Bigger vocabulary in preschoolers
- Healthier eating patterns in young adults
Also read: Benefits of meditation for our mental health
There are also benefits for adults, including:
- Better nutrition with more fruits and vegetables and less fast food
- Less dieting
- Increased self-esteem
- Lower risk of depression
