Mukbang Meal: Mindless Entertainment or Unsavory Influence?
A Korean Eating Style Filmed and Marketed as ASMR
Medically reviewed by Suzanne Fisher, RD
Mukbang is an Internet event where hosts eat large amounts of food in one sitting. They do this while streaming their meal on an online video platform. The word "mukbang" is a Korean word that means "eating show." This describes what occurs during these events.
The practice of mukbang started in South Korea in 2014 and grew to become a global trend. A mukbang is not a cooking show. Instead, videos focus on the host sharing their meal with viewers while they consume, not prepare, it.
Although these shows have strong followings, they are also polarizing. Many viewers enjoy watching mukbang for its social and entertainment aspects. However, critics warn that the shows promote binge eating and may trigger the onset of eating problems.
This article discusses mukbang, its link to ASMR (autonomous sensory median response), and the basis for this trend. It also describes the type of food used, both good and bad aspects of viewing, and where to find these programs.
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Mukbang, ASMR, and Food: Understanding the Trend
There are many reasons that mukbang has grown in popularity. It stems from the fact that dining is a deeply social activity in Korea. Generally, it is not acceptable to eat alone in public there. Therefore, mukbang is often used as an online substitute for socializing while eating alone.
As mukbang became more popular in other countries, it became clear that viewers' reasons for watching exceeded cultural norms. For many viewers, the experience of watching other people eat provides a sense of self-preservation, belongingness, entertainment, social gratification, and food information.
There is also a group of people for whom the sensory experience of watching mukbang is linked with ASMR. ASMR is a favorable deep and tingling physical sensation that some people get in reaction to certain types of audio-video stimuli like mukbang.
These stimuli typically involve hearing certain sounds or watching certain movements that can include the following actions in videos:
Gentle whispering
Delicate slurping and chewing
Crisp sounds, such as light tapping or rubbing metallic foil on a surface
Turning the pages of a book
Direct personal attention
Slow movements
Smiling and/or laughing
Repetitive movements or watching repetitive tasks
Watching someone else focus on a task
Research indicates that about 20% of the population respond to ASMR triggers. People who have ASMR responses say it is a pleasant feeling that starts at the crown of your head and then travels along your shoulders and down your spine.
There is evidence that ASMR can have both a physical and psychological impact on a person's body. The effect can slow a person's heart rate and breathing, similar to relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation. It also triggers relaxing, calm, and peaceful feelings that promote restfulness.
Content creators of mukbang videos also have much to gain from creating this content. Reportedly, top mukbang hosts can earn up to $10,000 per month.
On YouTube, content creators earn revenue from the ads shown before and after videos. As their audiences grow, muckbang creators may be able to earn more money through sponsorships.
Learn More: Why Do Only Some People Get the ASMR Tingles?
What's on a Mukbang Food Spread?
There are no rules about what's on a mukbang food spread. Generally, the meal includes very large amounts of a single food item that is not considered healthy, like pizza or fried chicken. However, it can also involve the host consuming large portions of more than one type of food.
Most of the items on a mukbang food spread are visually appealing and come in a variety of flavors and textures. They are typically easy to prepare, easy to eat, and have a broad appeal so viewers can identify with what the host is tasting. Sometimes, a host will consume just one type of food as part of a sponsored event from a vendor.
In a study on the content analysis of 100 randomly chosen mukbang videos on YouTube, researchers reported that 91.5% of those videos showed the consumption of delivered food, food purchased at convenience stores, and food purchased from restaurants.
The most common types of food on a mukbang food spread include the following:
Korean Foods
The Korean foods used in mukbang often are foods unique to this culture, including:
Bibimbap: A bowl of rice topped with various meat, vegetables, and a fried egg
Jjajangmyeon: A noodle dish with black bean sauce typically served with pork and vegetables
Korean fried chicken: Juicy chicken meat with a crispy exterior
Kimchi stew: A spicy stew made with kimchi, (a type of Korean sauerkraut), tofu, pork, and other vegetables
Tteokbokki: Chewy rice cakes cooked in a spicy sauce and often served with fish cakes, scallions, and boiled eggs
Hotteok: A sweet Korean pancake filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts
Odeng: Spicy fish cakes (white fish mixed with potato starch and served in its own soup, often served on skewers
Bungeoppang: A fish-shaped pastry filled with sweet red bean paste
U.S. Mukbang
U.S. mukbang videos include Korean foods or foods that are more common in the United States, such as:
Fried chicken: American (brined and dredged in flour and buttermilk) or Korean (lighter and crispier without heavy batter)
Ramen: A Japanese noodle soup often customized with toppings like eggs, vegetables, and pork belly
Pizza: Often an extra large pizza with a variety of toppings
Seafood boil: Large platters of seafood that can include crab legs, shrimp, and crayfish
Learn More: How Eating Fast Food Affects Teen Health
Positives of Mukbang Viewing
The positives of mukbang viewing centers on the psychological characteristics of mukbang viewers and what they gain from watching these programs. Research indicates that an important aspect of mukbang involves the fact that viewers obtain social gratification from watching.
Mukbang can be helpful and/or destructive depending on the viewer. Research on viewers' perceptions of mukbang indicates the following:
Mukbang is viewed as a social event: Viewers describe how watching and participating in mukbang reduces loneliness. Doing so makes them feel like they are eating dinner with someone else even though they are alone. In the live version of a mukbang, the host chats with the audience while they type in real-time in the live chat room.
Mukbang reduces guilt about viewers' own eating: Watching mukbang helps to normalize eating as a joyful experience and helps viewers understand that occasional overeating is not always a reason for guilt.
Mukbang triggers feelings of emotional connection and empathy toward hosts, called "mukbangers": Researchers report that these connections can occur when viewers share interests with a mukbanger. When viewers feel this bond, they have more positive emotions about their experience.
Mukbang has entertainment value: Mukbang videos can be highly entertaining. While eating, creators share stories and tell jokes. This spills over to viewers. In one study, 10% of viewers remained logged in after the meal ended to continue chatting about a wide range of topics related to their daily lives.
Mukbang provides viewer satisfaction via the sensation of binge eating themselves: For some viewers, simply watching and "experiencing" mukbang fulfilled their desire for binge eating. Viewers sought this vicarious pleasure as a way of fulfilling their fantasies of eating without the consequences of doing it themselves.
Downsides of Mukbang Challenge
Critics of this phenomenon emphasize the downsides of the mukbang challenge. The most concerning aspects of mukbang are related to viewing that becomes obsessive and possibly self-destructive.
The downside of mukbang challenge can include the following:
A viewer's consumption norms can be affected by video hosts: In one study of people who watch mukbang frequently, 32.6% of those studied indicated that mukbang had a strong influence on their health habits.
Viewers describe feelings of envy and amazement when watching mukbang videos: In watching mukbang, thin, fit hosts typically consume large amounts of food without apparent weight gain. However, viewers may not be aware of hosts' strategies like fasting before a large meal to reduce expected weight gain. In recorded mukbang videos, editing may also be used to hide the fact that the host isn't consuming the entire quantity of food shown or all in one sitting.
Mukbang may motivate restrictive eating or trigger a relapse into disordered eating (actions such as binge eating, vomiting, and laxative abuse): Researchers described mukbang as a "pre-planned binge eating episode staged and performed for a virtual audience." In this context, watching mukbang has the potential to increase eating among users who have a history of binge and out-of-control eating.
Mukbang may trigger obsessive and self-destructive behavior: Like other forms of online entertainment, some viewers may develop a need to keep watching as a destructive way to reduce feelings of boredom. Viewing may also develop as a replacement for in-person interactions.
Learn More: Real-Life Support Is Better for Your Mental Health Than Social Media
Where to Find Mukbang Videos
Mukbang started in 2008 as live-stream eating shows on Afreeca TV, a video streaming service in South Korea. It spread to Western audiences on English-language social media channels.
You can view mukbang videos as either prerecorded or streamed live through a webcast on the following online applications. You can find mukbang videos on the following online applications:
Other ASMR Triggers
Many mukbang videos are purposely created to trigger ASMR. Mukbang creators who want to target ASMR viewers include components like high-definition microphones that pick up every mouth noise, whisper, and finger flutter to trigger an ASMR reaction. These details appeal to people whose ASMR triggers involve visual and audio triggers.
However, ASMR triggers vary by individual. Some ASMR alternatives to mukbang include other types of in-person acts or role-play videos. Depending on personal preferences, these ASMR alternatives can include the following:
Hearing people speaking softly
Getting your hair played with or braided
Receiving close personal attention
Getting a haircut
Any type of interaction with your face or head
Watching people do things in a careful, attentive way, such as filling out a form
Listening to scratching sounds
Watching hand movements
Summary
Mukbang is a unique type of video program in which a host consumes a meal for the viewing pleasure of others. These "eating shows" started in South Korea and gained worldwide fame via video streaming platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Research shows that viewing mukbang can have a range of outcomes. For some people, it can help fulfill a need to eat and connect with others. These shows can also be a source of ASMR for those who respond to these triggers. However, viewers should know that mukbang can promote unhealthy habits and trigger disordered eating in those who have those problems. People who obsess with viewing mukbang may risk using these shows to replace in-person interactions.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
