Mirror Neurons and Eating: Friend or Foe?
Can mirror neurons make us do things we wish we hadn’t?
Posted October 14, 2025 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
Did you ever wonder why you suddenly crave something that you see someone else eating? Or, find yourself ordering the same thing someone else does at a restaurant?
Often we have been reminded that social eating is a good thing. It’s a time to socialize, laugh, share thoughts and memories, and generally bond over a meal or set of snacks (think chips and dip or pizza while watching football).
Sometimes, however, we find ourselves eating just because someone else is. Their behavior starts a process in us that cannot be denied.
Can We Blame Our Mirror Neurons?
Where do these urges come from?
Partly from our mirror neurons . These neurons were discovered in 1992 by Giacomo Rizzolatti and colleagues during a series of experiments on macaque monkeys. They noticed a firing of neurons in the premotor cortex when the monkeys observed another monkey grasping food. In monkeys, mirror neurons were also found in areas that integrate sensory input with motor planning. There was the possibility that monkeys could learn an activity by observing another monkey. This was a huge discovery at the time.
Since then, studies have shown that humans have a mirroring system in similar regions. By 2023, mirror neurons had been located in four regions. The premotor cortex, linking it to movement, the inferior frontal gyrus, known for social and affective behaviors, the parietal lobe, linking them to visual input, and the superior temporal sulcus, which has to do with auditory processing.
That’s a mouthful to explain what seems to be a simple urge. Current research tells us that mirror neurons are players in such important and complex processes as learning, empathy, and imitation.
Let’s return to the scenario above, where you may succumb to eating something you see someone else eating, or just eating because someone else is. Why might mirror neurons be playing a part in this?
Some marketing researchers have jumped on the mirroring bandwagon. The inference is that you can cause people to want what everyone else is having by presenting an appealing visual. The beauty of this approach is that it may create an intention without involving intermediate cognitive processes .
Research tells us that ultra-processed foods actually hijack the executive function located in our frontal lobes. The assumption is that the underground system of mirroring then has a role to play in food selection. If those around you are eating processed foods, you are more likely to do so as well.
So can we say, “My mirror neurons made me do it!” Is it as easy as “monkey see, monkey do”?
It’s not that simple. As usual, human behavior is extremely complex. There are many reasons for what we eat in any given situation. But mirror neurons are an area with plenty of ongoing research.
Meanwhile, it may be useful to be aware of mirroring as a potential foe when it comes to making healthy and reasonable food choices.
“There they go again! My mirror neurons are making me crave those darn French fries!”
Bonini, L., Rotunno, C., Acuri, E, Gallese, V. (2022). Mirror neurons 30 years later: implications and applications. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Vol. 26, No.9.
Acharya, S., Shukla, S. (2012). Mirror neurons: Enigma of the metaphysical modular brain. Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine. Vol. 3, No.2.
Ferrari, P.F., Gallese, V., Rizzolatti, G., Fogassi, L. (2003). Mirror neurons responding to the observation of ingestive and communicative mouth actions in the monkey ventral premotor cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience. Vol. 17, 1703-1714.
Eisenstadt, L. (2005). Empathy on the Brain. bu.edu/sjmag/scimag2005.
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Kristen Carter, M.S., is an exercise physiologist and the author of The End of Try Try Again: Overcome Your Weight Loss and Exercise Struggles for Good.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.