If you want to lose weight, you should choose your lunch companions wisely. A study found that co-workers who ate together tended to pick similarly healthy foods.

The researchers said their findings offered policymakers new strategies against fatness. “We found individuals tend to mirror the food choices of others in their social circles,” said Dr. Levy, lead author of the research. “People may change their behaviour to strengthen the relationship in their social circle.”

Co-workers may give each other permission to pick unhealthy foods, the researchers said, or place pressure to make a healthier choice. Levy added, “The effect was a bit stronger for healthy foods.”

Employees at a hospital could pay using ID cards, allowing the researchers to collect data on what, when and where to buy. They worked out social relationships by looking at how long apart two people bought food, how often they ate and whether they visited a different cafe at the same time. They surveyed over 1,000 employees to ask them about the names of dining partners.

“Considering other shared characteristics, co-workers were influencing each other's habits, rather than friendships formed between people with similar lifestyles,” Levy said.

The researchers said their findings could be widely used for public health interventions. It showed that interventions to improve healthy eating in a particular group may have a wider impact in individuals with social connections to that group.

Levy said, “To work out whether people with similar lifestyles and food preferences were more likely to become friends and eat together, we controlled common characteristics and analyzed the data from different angles, consistently finding the results were the same.”

A dog can keep us company. Sweetie is a big dog who spends every Friday of the month in the Children’s Area of our local library. Earlier today, I was so lucky to be nearby when she was partnering with a boy who was reading a mystery of Magic Tree House. Every time Sweetie listened to the boy reading the most challenging words, she would softly lick（舔）his hand which was holding the book. With his mom in the background, Sweetie and the young boy shared a l0-minute happy partnership, and he was rewarded by Sweetie’s great attention to his every word.

Next Sweetie had an appointment with the twins who took turns reading poetry. With each girl giggling over the funny words, Sweetie was also smiling with her tongue dropping a bit as they each read. After the 10-minute interaction was done, each girl gave Sweetie a gentle hug and were rewarded by Sweetie’s foreleg bow.

In speaking with Sweetie’s owner and transportation “captain”, I learned that Sweetie had been specially trained to work as a service dog. She has retired（退休）after a career of wonderful service, and now she is “in her sunset years” in her service at the library.

Sweetie has a special resting carpet behind the scenes in the Children’s Area, so that she can refresh herself with fresh water and some food when she is tired and hungry. This is Sweetie’s third summer that she has been the “regular” partner. On Fridays from 2 pm~4 pm, Sweetie is ready to listen and act as a devoted partner.

How to Fix a Relationship

If you’re having a problem in your relationship, you’re not alone. Most people have trouble in relationships at one point or another. 【小题1】 However, you can make it work out if you decide to work together to fix it, starting with trying to understand what’s gone wrong in your relationship.

Recognize the problems. Any number of problems could do harm to your relationship. You should look for signs and symptoms of the problems you’re facing. Listening attentively is the key, which can help you understand what he or she is feeling. 【小题2】 Actually think about what the person is saying, and maybe try to understand what is behind the words as well. You also have a right to discuss what you’re feeling and thinking . The key is to keep a calm head.

【小题3】 Once you’re figured out what some of your problems are together, have a conversation to find ways to solve them. How can you solve the problems in a way that both of you can live with? 【小题4】 Start with the place you both agree on. Maybe you can both agree on the problem at least, or maybe you can agree on the first step to the solution. For instance, maybe you agree that you are feeling disconnected. Maybe you can take it one step further and agree that you need to spend more time together.

Make a plan together. Once you’re agreed to solutions, it’s time to put them into concrete terms. For instance, if you both agree you need to spend more time together, then maybe the agreement will be that you should make a date at least once a week.

Find ways to compromise(妥协). The key to any relationship is learning to compromise. 【小题5】 Compromising is about finding common ground, and both of you giving in a little on the issue.