In this article I highlighted the importance of
belonging, togetherness, and interpersonal support, and examined eating
rituals, in various cultures and religions, that emphasize that food is not
just for the body, but can nurture the soul and bond people.
References
[1]
Amarujala, E. (2018). Significance and Importance of Fish in Bengali Weddings. Mangal Parinay. https://www.mangalparinay.com/blog/wedding-traditions-rituals/significance-and-importance-of-fish-in-bengali-weddings
[2]
Anderson, C. (2013). In Search of the Origins of the Oplatek. The Polish Review, 58, 65-76. https://doi.org/10.5406/polishreview.58.3.0065
[3]
Anderson, R. (2016). A Seat at the Bar: Issues of the Race and Class in the World of Specialty Coffee. https://savageminds.org/2016/08/21/a-seat-at-the-bar-issues-of-race-and-class-in-the-world-of-specialty-coffee
[4]
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
[5]
Begen, F. M., & Turner-Cobb, J. M. (2015). Benefits of Belonging: Experimental Manipulation of Social Inclusion to Enhance Psychological and Physiological Health Parameters. Psychology & Health, 30, 568-582. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2014.991734
[6]
Butler, E. A., Lee, T. L., & Gross, J. J. (2009). Does Expressing Your Emotions Raise or Lower Your Blood Pressure? The Answer Depends on Cultural Context. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 40, 510-517. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022109332845
[7]
Cacioppo, J. T., Reis, H. T., & Zautra, A. J. (2011). The Value of Social Fitness with an Application to the Military. American Psychologist, 66, 43-51. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021419
[8]
Campos, B., & Kim, H. S. (2017). Incorporating the Cultural Diversity of Family and Close Relationships into the Study of Health. American Psychologist, 72, 543-554. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000122
[9]
Campos, B., Ullman, J. B., Aguilera, A., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2014). Familism and Psychological Health: The Intervening Role of Closeness and Social Support. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20, 191-201. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034094
[10]
Chen, J. M., Kim, H. S., Mojaverian, T., & Morling, B. (2012). Culture and Social Support Provision: Who Gives What and Why. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211427309
[11]
Dash, M. (2016). What Is a Seder? https://www.haggadot.com/clip/what-seder-12
[12]
DeWall, C., MacDonald, G., Webster, G. D., Masten, C. L., Baumeister, R. F., Powell, C., Eisenberger, N. I. et al. (2010). Acetaminophen Reduces Social Pain: Behavioral and Neural Evidence. Psychological Science, 21, 931-937. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610374741
[13]
Distel, M. A., Rebollo-Mesa, I., Abdellaoui, A., Derom, C. A., Willemsen, G., Cacioppo, J. T., & Boomsma, D. I. (2010). Familial Resemblance for Loneliness. Behavioural Genetics, 40, 480-494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-010-9341-5
[14]
Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. L. (2015). A New Look at Social Support: A Theoretical Perspective on Thriving through Relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 19, 113-147. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868314544222
[15]
Friedman, R. L. (2007). Widening the Therapeutic Lens: Sense of Belonging as an Integral Dimension of the Human Experience. A Dissertation Submitted to the Wright Institute Graduate School.
[16]
Fulton, A. (2016). The Crummy History of Matzoh. National Geographic Online. http://www.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2016/04/22/the-crummy-history-of-matzoh
[17]
Gable, S. L., & Reis, H. T. (2010). Good News! Capitalizing on Positive Events in an Interpersonal Context. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 42, pp. 195-257). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(10)42004-3
[18]
Gordon, S. (1976). Lonely in America. New York: Simon & Schuster.
[19]
Hashimoto, T., Mojaverian, T., & Kim, H. S. (2012). Culture, Interpersonal Stress, and Psychological Distress. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43, 527-532. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022112438396
[20]
Hillebrant, H., Sebastian, C., & Blakemore, S. J. (2011). Experimentally Induced Social Inclusion Influences Behavior on Trust Games. Cognitive Neuroscience, 2, 27-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2010.515020
[21]
History.com (2018). Day of the Dead. https://www.history.com/topics/haloween/day-of-the-dead
[22]
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (1997). Cultures and Organizations. New York: McGraw-Hill.
[23]
Holloway, R. A., Waldrip, A. M., & Ickes, W. (2009). Evidence That a Simpático Self-Schema Accounts for Differences in the Self-Concepts and Social Behavior of Latinos versus Whites (and Blacks). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 1012-1028. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013883
[24]
Humphrey, T. C., & Humphrey, L. T. (1988). We Gather Together: Food and Festival in American Life. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press.
[25]
Lakey, B., & Orehek, E. (2011). Relational Regulation Theory: A New Approach to Explain the Link between Perceived Social Support and Mental Health. Psychological Review, 118, 482-495. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023477
[26]
LaRock, H. (2018). Middle Eastern Culture and Cuisine. https://traveltips.usatoday.com/middle-eastern-culture-cuisine-22651.html
[27]
Leary, M. R. (2010). Affiliation, Acceptance, and Belonging: The Pursuit of Interpersonal Connection. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G. Lindsey (Eds.), Handbook of Social Psychology (pp. 864-897). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy002024
[28]
Leary, M. R., & Springer, C. A. (2001). Hurt Feelings: The Neglected Motion. In R. Kowalski (Ed.), Aversive Behaviors and Interpersonal Transgression (pp. 151-175). Washington DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10365-006
[29]
Ma, G. (2015). Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2, 195-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jef.2015.11.004
[30]
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224-253. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224
[31]
Mojaverian, T., & Kim, H. S. (2013). Interpreting a Helping Hand: Cultural Variation in the Effectiveness of Solicited and Unsolicited Social Support. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39, 88-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212465319
[32]
O’Donoghue, N. (2012). The Shape of the History of Eucharist. New Blackfrians, 93, 71-83. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-2005.2011.01433.x
[33]
Ornish, D. (2007). The Spectrum. New York: Ballantine Books.
[34]
Pressman, S. D., Matthews, K. A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Scheier, M., Baum, A., & Schulz, R. (2009). Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities with Psychological and Physical Well-Being. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71, 725-732. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ad7978
[35]
Rokach, A. (2014). Loneliness of the Marginalized. Open Journal of Depression, 3, 147-153. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojd.2014.34018
[36]
Rokach, A. (2017). Introduction-Intimate Relationships: What Enriches and What Depletes Them. In A. Rokach (Ed.), Marital Relationships and Parenting: Intimate Relations and Their Correlates (pp. 17-23). Abingdon: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315208633
[37]
Rook, D. W. (1985). The Ritual Dimension of Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 12, 251-264. https://doi.org/10.1086/208514
[38]
Rook, K. S., & Charles, S. T. (2017). Close Social Ties and Health in Later Life: Strengths and Vulnerabilities. American Psychologist, 72, 567-577. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000104
[39]
Schug, J., Yuki, M., & Maddux, W. (2010). Relational Mobility Explains Between- and Within-Culture Differences in Self-Disclosure to Close Friends. Psychological Science, 21, 1471-1478. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610382786
[40]
Tsai, J. L., Knutson, B., & Fung, H. H. (2006). Cultural Variation in Affect Valuation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 288-307. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.90.2.288
[41]
Visser, M. (1991). The Rituals of Dinner. New York: Grove Weidenfeld.
[42]
Weil, A. (1997). Eight Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body’s Natural Healing Power. New York: Knopf.
