科学家发现，单身人士与一位有魅力的同伴用餐时会选择更健康的食物，吃的也更少。但他们要是和相貌平平的人一起用餐，就更有可能大吃一顿。
Single young people order healthier food if they’re on a date with somebody good-looking, a study has revealed.
一项研究发现，单身人士与一位有魅力的同伴用餐时会选择更健康的食物。
The attractiveness of your dining partner doesn’t make a difference if you’re already in a relationship or eating with someone you have no interest in.
如果你已经在谈恋爱了，或者正在和一个你不感兴趣的人吃饭，那么用餐对象的吸引力就不会有什么差别了。
But both men and women are keen to be seen as healthy when searching for a potential romantic partner.
如今男性和女性都很在意心仪的对象对自己饮食习惯的看法，希望被看作是健康的。
Researchers at East Carolina University studied 639 heterosexual students with an average age of 18 to find out how a good-looking dining companion would affect what they ate.
美国东卡罗来纳大学的研究人员对639名平均年龄在18岁的异性恋学生进行了研究，以了解与长相有魅力人的一起进餐会如何影响他们的饮食。
Women may eat healthier because thinness is seen as more attractive, while men want to portray themselves as fit and healthy, the researchers suggest.
研究人员称，女性可能会吃得更健康，因为瘦被认为更有吸引力，而男性则希望塑造健康的形象。
In the study, each of the participants were told to pick an item from a restaurant menu after being shown a photo of who they would be eating with, The Times reported.
据《泰晤士报》报道，这项研究要求每位参与者在看过午餐同伴的大头照后选择一道菜。
The scientists had already rated people’s attractiveness beforehand, and found the most attractive people inspired their partners to eat healthily.
科学家们事先已经对照片上人们的吸引力分了等级，发现最具魅力的人会促使他们的伴侣做出更健康的选择。
On the other hand people in relationships, those with unattractive dates, or straight people with someone of the same sex did not change their meal choice.
此外，对已经有对象或是所看照片为同性的异性恋者而言，对方的魅力等级不会影响对食物的选择。
Perhaps because society portrays thinner women as more desirable,’ the authors wrote, ’women may be especially motivated to appear thin or at least to engage in behaviors that promote thinness when in the presence of others.’
研究报告的作者写道：“也许是因为社会认为苗条的女性更有魅力，所以女性特别愿意在别人面前显得更苗条，或者至少会做出一些让自己看起来更苗条的举动。”
They added: ’Smaller meals are generally considered to be more neat and feminine ... and women tend to be rated as more attractive when their meals contain lower fat content.’
他们补充说：“较小份的食物通常被认为更优雅、更有女人味。如果女性食物中的脂肪含量较低，则容易被认为更有魅力。”
But their theory about men was wrong – they thought men would eat more calories in a bid to seem more muscular and strong.
但他们关于男性的理论是错误的——他们认为男性会摄入更多的卡路里，以显得身体更健硕。
This theory appears to have been based on past research claiming men eat bigger portions in the presence of women in an attempt to seem more powerful.
这一理论似乎是基于过去的一项研究，即男性在女性面前吃得更多，是为了显得更有男子汉气概。
However, if that was ever true it doesn’t apply to 21st century young men, who are more likely to want to be seen as health-conscious.
然而，如果这是真的，这并不适用于21世纪的年轻男性，他们更有可能希望被视为注重健康。
Individuals who consume healthier foods tend to be rated as more fit, attractive, and likeable,’ the scientists said to explain the men’s behaviour.
研究人员在解释男性的行为时说:“吃健康食品的人往往被认为更健康、更有魅力、更讨人喜欢。”
And the scientists explained their findings support other research which has shown women to be less willing to buy unhealthy food after looking at an attractive man.
科学家们解释说，他们的发现也支持另一项研究，即女性在看到有魅力的男性后，不太愿意购买不健康的食品。
On the flipside, looking at attractive women doesn’t change how healthy a man wants to be, but makes him likely to spend more money on food and drink.
另一方面，看到有魅力的女性不会让一个男性变得有多健康，但会让他更愿望把钱花在食品饮料上。
The research was published in the journal Appetite.
这项研究发表在《食欲》杂志上。
