Everyone thinks about food during the day—breakfast, lunch, dinner. But for one-third of Dutch people, food dominates their thoughts even more than their partner, work, or household chores. A Thuisbezorgd.nl survey of over 1,000 respondents reveals that 33% ponder food constantly, with young people hit hardest at 46%.*
Thuisbezorgd.nl explored daily food thoughts, finding they span from early morning to late night. Beyond mealtimes, 44% of Dutch people say food is their first thought upon waking. Over one-fifth dwell on it heavily after 8 p.m., and 2.5% even lose sleep over meals and snacks.
Food ranks in the top three daily thoughts for 50% of respondents, versus just 16% for partner time. Women often prioritize snacks over dates, and 40% in relationships think about food more than their partner. Among youth, over half favor food thoughts daily.
Food serves as a well-deserved reward after busy days: 70% of men and 63% of women view a good meal as the ideal end to the day.
Partnering with neuroscientist Dr. Jack Lewis, Thuisbezorgd.nl uncovers why: “The human brain has evolved over many thousands of years, but our search for food and drink has always played a major role in our brain activity. After all, it is our basis for survival. An important result of this is the brain's reward pathway, which makes us think about what will give us the greatest reward in terms of food. That is why you can see in the research results that we think so much about food.”
