With the rise of social media influencers and subculture groups like “foodies,” the number of people eating on camera—and others watching them—has increased rapidly. But could watching people eat online be contributing to our weight gain? A new study suggests it might.
Mukbang, a South Korean trend in which individuals consume large quantities of food while livestreaming or recording videos for their fans, has gone global. According to a 2024 study, there are now approximately 4.9 million Mukbang videos on YouTube and 4.1 million on TikTok.
A new study, involving mice and presented at the Endocrine Society’s ENDO 2025 conference in San Francisco, found that simply watching others eat appealing foods may lead to overeating.
“This animal model opens the door to developing new treatments that target the brain’s reward system to help prevent or reduce overeating,” said Yong Xu, Ph.D., M.D., professor and associate director for Basic Sciences at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC), Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
“It also supports public health efforts that aim to limit the influence of visual food cues in media and social settings, which could help people better manage their weight and eating habits,” Xu said.
The study was conducted by Xu Xu, M.D., pediatric endocrine fellow at Texas Children’s Hospital, and Hesong Liu, Ph.D. In it, 14 mice were divided into two groups: Group A mice were either fed or fasted overnight before testing, while Group B mice were consistently fed beforehand. Genetically and parentally matched, the mice were placed in separate but adjacent areas where they could see each other without making physical contact. Researchers tracked the amount of food the mice consumed each hour over four hours on different test days, using chow, high-fat, and sucrose diets.
In a follow-up experiment, Group B mice were given injections 15 minutes before testing: either 0.1 ml of 9% saline, a D1 dopamine receptor (DRD1) inhibitor (SCH23390, 0.1 mg/kg), or a D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) inhibitor (Eticlopride, 1 mg/kg). The mice’s food intake was then recorded.
Interestingly, satiated mice that observed their fasted counterparts eating did not increase their intake of chow or high-fat food. Still, they did show a significant rise in sucrose consumption during the first hour of observation, a trend that repeated across multiple trials. This overeating persisted after saline injections but was notably reduced when dopamine receptor inhibitors were used.
“This study shows, in animals, that simply watching another eat—especially palatable food—can cause overeating, even when not hungry,” Xu said. “It also identifies a specific brain system (dopamine signaling) that helps explain why this happens. This type of behavior, driven by environmental and social cues, is very relevant in today’s world, where food is abundant and eating shows or food-related social media are common.”
TikTok and Instagram have become major platforms for Mukbang content creators, many of whom have amassed millions of followers. The research and strategy agency We Are Family United Kingdom noted that TikTok’s format is “ideal for nicely designed plates… gaining a whopping 14 million followers.” Meanwhile, YouTube’s official blog notes that by 2023, TikTok “had over 20 billion views on #mukbang‑related content.”
In light of these trends and the findings of the ENDO 2025 study, it’s reasonable to conclude that the widespread appeal of Mukbang-style videos could contribute to negative behavioral patterns. Viewers may be influenced to eat more—especially sugary, high-reward foods—even when they’re not hungry.
Will this global trend shift as we begin to see the long-term effects of poor eating habits? Time may tell, and if not, then perhaps our growing waistlines will.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com.