Human behavior is a multifaceted phenomenon highly adapted to various social influences. Influences such as the presence of other people are related to the amount of food consumed by an individual (de Castro, 1994). Regulation of meal size in response to the presence of others is known as social facilitation of eating and is based on the concept that food intake increases with the addition of companions (de Castro, 1994). With reference to Esma and her potential eating behavior, it is essential to investigate the social context of her situation and any pre-existing conditions. It is expected that Esma will eat more than she would eat unaccompanied and will adjust her food intake to match the consumption of other guests. Factors such as the number of mealmates and familiarity with them are crucial in predicting his intake. Additional psychological influences may also have effects on consumption, including subjective conditions of appetite, thirst, anxiety, and depression (Redd & de Castro, 1992), none of which are presumed to have considerable abnormal effects for Esma. Meals eaten with people are typically larger in volume and longer in duration, compared to meals eaten in isolation (de Castro, 1994). Numerous studies conducted by John de Castro and collaborators have relied on volunteer self-reporting methods. The results of these studies highlighted a strong and positive correlation between the number of people present and the quantity of food consumed, where as the quantity of people present increased, the quantity of food consumed also increased (de Castro & Brewer, 1991). This social correlation relationship highlighted that the pattern of temporal extension, i.e. longer durations of social meals, is a key factor in the social facilitation of meals...... middle of paper ......itions. Although further investigations into the normative model (Herman et al, 2003) and the impression management model (Conger et al, 1980) might present different results for Esma, this article has focused predominantly on the temporal extension model and the disinhibition model. . These factors are perhaps more influential in the predictions made for Esma as they recognize that social facilitation works in both directions (Herman et al, 2003) and were applicable given the information provided about the social context. Research has outlined a wide range of explanations and influences for the social facilitation of eating, however the key point that can be deduced is that eating, like most human behaviour, is strongly influenced by the presence and influence of others. people. This is a complex phenomenon, which requires consideration of many dimensions in order to make accurate predictions.