Global Study Shows Connection Between Food Enjoyment and Well-Being Across 142 Countries

A worldwide survey covering 142 countries has revealed a link between the enjoyment of food and overall well-being. In this survey, approximately 1,000 respondents from each country or location were asked whether they had enjoyed their meals in the past week. The results indicate that the people of Puerto Rico, Greece, and Norway derive greater enjoyment from their food compared to diners in other nations.

Despite the culinary renaissance that the United Kingdom has witnessed in recent decades, the survey shows that only 91% of respondents in the UK enjoyed their food in the past week, placing the nation alongside Kazakhstan and Jamaica in terms of satisfaction. This places the UK in the bottom half of the table.

Uzbekistan recorded high ratings for food enjoyment and healthy eating – but the report’s authors suggest this may be connected to country’s authoritarian regime. 

Photograph: Tarzan9280/Getty Images

France and Italy, known for their culinary traditions, were predictably higher up the table than the UK. However, it may be surprising for British cooks to find themselves ranked below nations such as Denmark, Nepal, and Mongolia. Nevertheless, 88% of UK respondents stated that they believed their food was mostly healthy, ranking 36th out of the 142 nations surveyed, and 86% felt they had a wide variety of food choices.

Conversely, people in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, where cassava and rice are dietary staples, expressed the least satisfaction with their daily meals. These countries also reported lower levels of food healthiness and choice. Lithuania, known for its meat-stuffed potato dumplings called Cepelinai, had the lowest food enjoyment in all of Europe.

The survey indicated that respondents in wealthier nations were more likely to answer "yes" to questions about food enjoyment, healthiness, and choice. For example, Uzbekistan, a country where rice and mutton dish plov is a national specialty, recorded high ratings for food enjoyment and healthy eating. However, the authors of the report suggested that the country's authoritarian regime might influence positive responses in surveys.

Despite the connection between wealth and food enjoyment, other factors come into play. The Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico, which shares a GDP per capita similar to Romania's, stood out as a place where food enjoyment was exceptionally high. Puerto Rico's cuisine includes dishes like red beans and rice, roast pork seasoned with local sazon, and spicy pique hot sauce.

The study highlighted a strong correlation between food enjoyment, the perception of food choices, and well-being. Individuals who enjoyed their food were 1.29 times more likely to experience well-being, and those who felt they had numerous food choices were 1.45 times more likely to have higher well-being, according to Gallup's measures.

Yoshiki Ishikawa, the president of the Well-being for Planet Earth Foundation, which supported the research, called the study a groundbreaking global examination of the relationship between food and well-being. The survey found that individuals who believed they had food choices and enjoyed their meals were significantly more likely to have higher subjective well-being, even when accounting for other factors that influence well-being, such as income, education, and age.

The survey's overall findings showed that individuals in North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean were the most satisfied with their meals, with an average satisfaction score of 96%. In contrast, the least satisfied diners lived in sub-Saharan Africa (72%), followed by North Africa (81%), eastern Asia, and the Arab states (both 82%). These areas also reported having the fewest food choices in the previous week.

In summary, the survey emphasized the significance of having a variety of food choices and consuming enjoyable and nutritious food for subjective well-being. This connection held true even after adjusting for other factors known to influence well-being.