"People-pleasers"- who put their own needs behind the needs of others- tend to overeat in social situations, a new study says.

The study, published in the Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, says people-pleasers tend to overeat in social settings to make sure others feel more comfortable.

Researcher Julie Exline, who is a psychologist at Case Western Reserve, says that individuals with people-pleasing characteristics eat whether they are hungry or not.

Commenting on the findings, Exline says, “People-pleasers feel more intense pressure to eat when they believe that their eating will help another person feel more comfortable.”

In the study, researchers studied around 100 volunteers who were made to sit down with an actor who also pretended to be a study participant. The actor was given a bowl of M&Ms. He took a small handful of around five candies and then handed them to the participant, who took some candies.

The study revealed that those who scored higher on the people-pleasing characteristics questionnaire took more of the candies.

Researchers conclude that individuals with people-pleasing characteristics give in to social peer pressure by eating more.