It’s true! Men tend to man up when it comes to their appetite if they’re eating out with the opposite sex.

A new Cornell University study, published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science, has revealed that men eat significantly more food in the company of women than they do with other men. Clearly, they eat to impress!

Researchers looked at 105 adults lunching at an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet over two weeks for this study. They recorded the number of pizza slices and the bowls of salad each diner ate along with the gender of each diner’s eating partner or partners. The diners also had to complete a short survey indicating their level of fullness after eating, and their feelings of hurriedness and comfort while eating before they left.

The survey revealed that men who dined with at least one woman ate 93 per cent more pizza and 86 per cent more salad than men who dined with only other men.

Dr. Kevin Kniffin, lead author of the study, has said that the findings show that men “tend to overeat to show off – you can also see this tendency in eating competitions which almost always have mostly male participants”.

As overeating is the main cause of obesity and can lead to digestive problems, experts suggest that diners need to relax, take their time and savour their meals.

“These findings are clear that people should calm down when eating with members of the opposite sex,” the study advocates.

Incidentally, the amount that women ate did not differ when they ate with other women or with men. Many women said that they felt that they “overate” and were “rushed through their meal” when they ate with men.