http://fsp.bc.edu/the-family-that-dines-together%E2%80%A6/
But Chatterjee and his colleagues’ research is anything but prosaic: dining together is a proxy for a concept known as self-regulation. They link self-regulation and dining together with good financial outcomes.
“The connection that we made was that for parents to be able to spend mealtimes with their families, just by a regular schedule, requires some commitment to their children, concern for the child’s wellbeing,” Chatterjee said. “To be able to do that requires a high self-regulation.”
By self-regulation he means “a process of setting standards for oneself, monitoring one’s actions and making focused interaction” to stay on track with one’s personal goals – whether dieting, saving money, or making sure that eating together is a priority.
To assess financial success, he tracked families in a survey from 1994 through 2004. Those who dined together at least four times a week increased their wealth 71 percent, from $39,000 in 1994 to $66,500 in 2004. For those who did not , wealth also increased but started out lower and rose less – by 62 percent, from $23,161 to $37,500. Wealth was measured as net worth: home equity plus financial assets minus credit cards and other loans. Results of the regression analyses linking the two were also statistically significant.
Families who eat together “may be more adept at implementing and monitoring financial management,” according to their paper, which Chatterjee said is scheduled for publication this year in the Applied Economics Research Bulletin.
So read it on the Boston College web site (Although BC is probably also a bastion of priviledge, allegedly supported by those notorious 1%ers, the Kennedys!).
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