Friends can feast on each other's company.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Brief article

Parents acutely are aware of the influence of friends on their children's behavior--how they dress and wear their hair, whether they drink or smoke, etc. A study from the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) shows that friends also may influence how much adolescents eat.

"Consider a person who usually comes home alone after school and eats out of boredom but, on this day, she has a play date with a friend and socializes instead of eating. In this case, socializing is acting as a substitute for eating. Identifying substitutes provides a potential way to reduce overeating behavior," explains Sarah-Jeanne Salvy, assistant professor of pediatrics.

"Our findings underscore the importance of considering the child's social network in studying youth's motivation to eat."

However, "peer rejection and ostracism are obvious costs imposed on social interactions," adds Salvy. "Even the unavailability of one's peers or friends can limit youth's access to social settings and...