Mukbang and Me: Implications on Cognition and Physical Well-Being among Undergraduates

Mukbang has become a global eating trend, especially among youths. Mukbang is mainly prevalent on social media platforms and has become addictive content for many who follow such videos. This study explores the effects of watching mukbang on cognitive functions, health problems and social interaction patterns. The study uses neurofeedback to analyse the brainwaves of selected participants who are university-going youths and have a regular habit of watching Mukbang every day. Two situations were recorded using neurofeedback; the first is only watching Mukbang passively, while the other is where the participant watched Mukbang and ate something simultaneously. A beta and alpha brainwave data were chosen to be analysed. Findings showed that the beta brainwave was recorded the highest in watching mukbang passively while the alpha was the highest during watching and eating mukbang. The result shows that anxiety, excitement, and focus were associated with the highest beta waves, while optimal cognitive performance was related to the activation of the upper alpha wave. The analysis provides a perspective to understand the effect of Mukbang on youths, specifically those currently studying at the tertiary level. The study links how idle interest in Mukbang affects cognitive activities and potentially triggers bingeing, worsening the relationship with food. Future research should examine how Mukbang encourages the diet Mukbangers would be tempted to adopt as daily food intake and how it affects long-term cognitive development among university-going youths.