How do we make healthy eating cool? Image courtesy of f_mafra.

People who immigrate to the United States from traditionally healthy cultures usually develop Western disease patterns within one or two generations. Since genetic changes cannot occur this rapidly, environmental factors, particularly diet, are considered to be primary the reason for the shift.

While it has been proposed that dietary changes are the result of having access to less healthy foods, new research suggests that poor food choices are often made not from preference but from pressure to fit in as an American.

In a new study to be published in the upcoming issue of Psychological Science, researchers from Stanford and UC Berkeley explored the eating choices made by Asian-American and white college students when put in situations that threaten their American identity.

The first part of the experiment asked students to write down their favorite foods, but first prefaced some of the students with the question, "Do you speak English?" All the students could speak fluent English, but of the Asian-American students that were asked the question 75% included a stereotypical American food in their food preferences, compared to 25% who had not been asked the question. There was no difference in preferences of white students with or without the question.

To test if cultural pressure affects eating habits directly, researchers performed a similar experiment but offered students dishes from typical American and Asian restaurants. Before the experiment, however, some students were told, "Actually, you have to be American to be in this experiment."

Asian-American students who were asked the question were more likely to choose the American food options than the students who were not asked the question. Subsequently their choices were less healthy and they ate an extra 182 calories in the meal.

Attitudes about food and social pressure can greatly impact eating habits, and this study is consistent previous findings that overweight people tend to have overweight friends. Bad eating habits aren't just individual choices, but reflect societal pressures and group psychology.

But the question remains, how do we make healthy eating cool?

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Photo Credit: Jessica Lavin

I have never experienced anything like it and as I look back I know that being on the mall will be one of the truest moments in my life. Is this what happens when over two million people focus on the present moment and meditate on positive transformation and change?

The psychology of the inauguration fascinated me; more so because my experience of mob dynamics came from working at San Quentin State Prison where I have seen the Herd Effect in human populations. I brought walkie-talkies and set an emergency plan with the three other people coming with me just in case of violence. I expected if there were problems that the psychology of the Herd Effect would come into play.

The Herd effect describes how individuals in a group can act together without planned direction. Evolutionary biologists have noted in animals fleeing a predator, individual animals will band and run in a tightly packed group to insure their own self-seeking protection. By doing so the group becomes a unified front and collective action becomes paramount over individual need.

There are numerous case studies in sociology and psychology about the Herd Effect in humans. The Los Angeles riots of 1992 exemplified how the Herd Effect often results in mob violence. The security precautions at the inauguration, complete with snipers on the top of the museums, made me all too aware that the threat of violence had not been overlooked in the massive size of the crowd.

However, the event as packed and uncomfortable as it was, remained peaceful. Without the catalyst of fear, people looked out for each other and strangers burst out in the same songs. I left feeling empowered and intuitively in tune with my surroundings and fellow Americans. Although I had prepared for the possibility violence, I left with a bigger question: is there a positive counterpart to the Herd Effect? What happens when you have a collective body in a small area experiencing something positive and uplifting? Nothing came up in my research about this type of phenomena.

I would be curious to note if there exists any case studies about the effects of joy felt by millions in one area and what the side effects were in comparison. Perhaps this day and the actions of the crowd will be fodder for further study.

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Each movement is categorized in Action Unit (AUs). When you puff your cheeks, it's known as AU13. The Frontalis muscle, located on the forehead, is responsible for AU1 or the "Inner Brow Raiser". Over the course of their extensive research, Ekman and Friesen determined that there are at least 19 different versions of smiles! For more information and additional resources on FACS, visit the Data Face website.

If you live in the Bay Area, you can see a special exhibit at San Francisco's Exploratorium with more of Dr. Ekman's photos. It's open through May 11.

Watch the "Emotions Revealed" TV Story online, as well as find additional links and resources.

Jenny Oh is an Associate Producer for QUEST on KQED Television.