We may be oceans apart and eat a range of different cuisines but according to a new study, people living in Australia, UK, US, Canada and India all have one major food habit in common: we all ‘Google’ takeaway food at night and in the early hours of the morning.
The new research, published today in , shows that people living in Australia, UK, US, Canada and India all battle the evening fast-food munchies.
And even though we all live across different time zones, when it is 7pm and 2am in our respective parts of the globe, many of us start looking for takeaway online, food-related keywords like ‘pizza delivery’.
“The patterns were consistent across search terms, days of the week and geographical locations,” the study reads.
“…These patterns indicate that this novel human appetitive behaviour is a global phenomenon and not culturally-dependent.”
The researchers from the UK’s University of Aberdeen conducted the study by analysing the daily Google searches of people from Australia, UK, US, Canada and India across two one-week periods in September 2016 and March 2017.
They also examined the Google searches for general and specific key words relating to food or feeding across a five-year period to test seasonal variations from 2011 to 2016.
…These patterns indicate that this novel human appetitive behaviour is a global phenomenon and not culturally-dependent.
The datasets revealed that people in the five countries shared consistent daily patterns of Google searches for takeaway food.
In India, Australia, US, UK and Canada, Internet search times peaked at two key times of the day: 7pm and 2am.
It didn’t matter what the season was or what day of the week it was – according to the study, Internet search results didn’t vary significantly between days or times of the year. The only statistically noticeable peaks were at night and early morning.
This led the researchers to believe that people – no matter where they live or the kind of cultural cuisine they crave – are all driven by their appetite to seek out food according to their circadian rhythms (or body clock) and a motivation to consume energy.
The researchers also suggest that your chronotype could play a minor role in whether you are a 7pm or 2am takeaway food-Googler.
A is a person's natural inclination towards a certain time of day: when you prefer to sleep, are most alert and have the most energy.
For example, a late chronotype may feel low energy and spirits in the morning while an early chronotype (or early riser) might experience mornings with higher energy levels.
The researchers also suggest that your chronotype could play a minor role in whether you are a 7pm or 2am takeaway food-Googler.
“[Previous] large-scale analyses of dietary intake and preferences in female Japanese students revealed that late chronotypes tended to begin meals later, eat for a longer time and obtain higher percentage of energy from alcohol and fat,” the study reads.
“Similarly, the daily food logs from adolescent individuals indicated that late chronotypes tended to drink more caffeinated drinks and fast food compared with early chronotypes.”
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What are people Googling?
The newly released study also revealed the key terms we use when Googling for takeaway food at 7pm/2am.
People across all five countries seemed to enjoy Googling common phrases like ‘pizza delivery’ and ‘Chinese delivery’.
Meanwhile, individuals also stuck to Googling country-specific terms including popular delivery brands in their region. For example, the study found that people living in Australia and the UK Googled ‘, while those living in Canada searched for Food Panda and people living in India did an online search for
People across all five countries seemed to enjoy Googling common phrases like ‘pizza delivery’ and ‘Chinese delivery’.
According to a Australian's favourite takeaway cuisine was Chinese followed by Italian and Thai.
An Australian Bureau of Statistics , the average Australian family spent more than $30 a week of their total budget on takeaway food (not including coffee or frozen meals). The expenditure figure is almost equal to average weekly spending on electricity.
Who is Googling for pizza at 2am?
The researchers didn’t have enough information to definitively crack down on who Googles for takeaway food or pizza delivery at 7pm or 2am.
“Although we are unable to confirm the characteristics of individuals that perform information-seeking behaviour for food-related terms, we propose that it is unlikely that the same population conducts information-seeking behaviour twice (i.e. early and late evening peaks) every day of the week,” the study reads.
The research suggests that the groups differ in age and late night habits – whether people have the propensity to stay up late or eat early.
More research is needed to determine the characteristics of takeaway food Google searchers.
The says that takeaway and home delivered foods can be enjoyed on occasion as a treat but they should be kept to a minimum.
