While picky eating is characterized by only eating a small selection of foods due to the refusal of eating many familiar or unfamiliar foods, food neophobia is the fear of eating new of unfamiliar foods. Evolutionary history shows that food neophobia has protected humans from eating harmful foods that may cause sickness (Bowden, 2014). However, for individuals with food neophobia, encountering unfamiliar foods can cause severe anxiety or panic (Holland, 2019). Thanks to the rise of social media such as Youtube, a coping strategy that can help treat food neophobia is now accessible and popular. Mukbangs are videos or live-streams that broadcast an individual eating a large amount of food for their virtual audience. Originating in South Korea, the term loosely translates to "eating broadcast" (Braithwaite, 2019). For individuals with food neophobia, watching Mukbangs when eating meals can help reshape their perspective toward food.
Eating food is a sensory experience that involves a visual aspect (Braithwaite, 2019). Seeing food that looks delicious can cause feelings of hunger or a craving for that specific food. For people with food neophobia, watching Mukbangs of someone eating food that looks good can motivate them to feel hungry or want to try that specific food. Another way watching Mukbangs while eating may help individuals overcome food neophobia is the exposure to a positive eating experience which reinforces the idea that eating foods can be enjoyable. Seeing someone happily enjoying their food in a Mukbang video can associate positive feelings with eating food and therefore, help reshape their relationship with food (Bedingfield, 2021).
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/vicarious-eating
https://www.self.com/story/is-it-weird-that-i-love-to-watch-mukbangers-eat-on-youtube
https://www.healthline.com/health/cibophobia#complications
https://www.healthyfood.com/advice/fussy-eaters-when-should-you-worry/
Great Post! That is a very interesting topic of mukbangs. I have seen them all over social media, between tik Tok and instagram. I'm not gonna lie, it is very easy to get hungry when you see those videos. However, I never knew it was also used for people who have food Neophobia. That is honestly a great way to get people trying new things.
ReplyDeleteI loved your topic choice of food neophobia! In addition, the connection to mukbangs was also extremely enticing to read about since they have gained so much popularity on the internet. Even though I have not watched many myself, I agree that using this type of video as a positive eating experience is super beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great discussion post and I really enjoyed the image you shared as well. Eating food is definitely a sensory experience that involves a visual aspect. I can relate to this with especially when going out to a fancy dinner, not only do you taste the deliciousness of the food but the visual aspect is also very appealing and can make the food look even more appetizing. I also really liked how you included the idea of Mukbangs, I always see this on different social media platforms such as YouTube and tik tok so it is interesting to see how this could be a technique for those who suffer from neophobia.
ReplyDeleteAmy, this was so interesting to read! I honestly never knew that there was more behind Mukbangs than just views. I always looked at these videos as just a popular new trend that is surfacing so people can share what they eat. Never have I thought to look at it as a way to get people to eat or to help people with neophobia. I can also see this almost dipping into the territory of eating disorders. Sometimes for people with an restrictive type eating disorder, it is easier for them to eat while watching someone else eat, especially if the person they are watching cannot see them. As for people with a binge eating type eating disorder, maybe Mukbangs can help them from over eating as they eat at the same pace as the person they are watching.
ReplyDeleteI never realized this is what neophobia and mukbangs were. Nowadays it is actually seen alot more, yet people are still not educated enough on the topic. Mukbangs are seen on tiktok, instagram and other social media platforms and I never put them and neophobia together. Very intersting!
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