The Real Reason Your Boyfriend Eats So Much Around You

(Hatrik)

Ever wondered why some guys eat so freaking much? Well, according to a new study, he’s probably just stuffing his face to impress you. Because what’s more endearing than a guy who can down an entire pizza in one sitting, right?

After looking at existing (and totally depressing) research that suggests eating disorders in women can in some ways be attributed to females competing for men, researchers at Cornell University wanted to work out whether the opposite was true for guys.

To come up with the results, researchers measured what people consumed at an all-you-can-eat pizza place. They found that guys’ version of “all they could eat” was way more when they were dining with women—as in, 93 percent more pizza and 86 percent more salad.

So clearly men tend to eat more when they’re around women, but no, it’s not because they’re worried you’ll eat all the pie if they don’t do it first. Instead, researchers suggest that men eat more around females simply because they can, or more specifically, to show the lucky lady that they can eat whatever they want and still look this good.

Kevin Kniffin, lead study author and a visiting assistant professor at Cornell University, explained that the findings show men are trying to prove they’re “healthy enough that they can engage in the unhealthful behavior of excessive eating (and still end up OK).” Kind of like how supermodels tell us they never diet and love to eat pasta, when we really have a sneaking suspicion that a carb hasn’t passed those lips in years.