https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1948550619856308Social Psychological and Personality Science
Foodie Calls: When Women Date Men for a Free Meal (Rather Than a Relationship)
Brian Collisson, Jennifer L. Howell, Trista Harig
First Published June 20, 2019
Abstract
A foodie call occurs when a person, despite a lack of romantic attraction to a suitor, chooses to go on a date to receive a free meal. The present study examines predictors of a deceptive form of the foodie call in the context of male–female dates: when a woman purposefully misrepresents her romantic interest in a man to dine at his expense. In two studies, we surveyed women regarding their foodie call behavior, dark triad personality traits, traditional gender role beliefs, and online dating history. We found 23–33% of women surveyed had engaged in a foodie call. In Study 1, dark triad and traditional gender role beliefs significantly predicted previous foodie call behavior and its perceived acceptability. Study 2 employed fuller measures and suggested again that dark triad traits predicted foodie calls and their perceived acceptability.
Who Are These Women?
Not all women date men for food. Instead, it may be a certain type of woman who misrepresents her romantic interest for the purpose of gaining free food. Specifically, we suspected that foo-
die calls may be most prevalent among women who score high in Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism—a constellation of subclinical, antisocial personality traits referred to as the
“dark triad” (Paulhus & Williams, 2002). Further, we suspected women who espouse more traditional gender role beliefs may expect men to pay for a date and thus be more likely to misrepresent their romantic interest for a free meal.
First, women who score high in Machiavellianism may be most likely to engage in foodie calls. People high in Machiavellianism tend to manipulate and deceive others, including romantic partners,
for self-interest (Miller, Lynam, Hyatt, & Campbell, 2017). Within a sample of predominately heterosexual men and women, those who scored higher in Machiavellianism were more likely to send unsolicited explicit images of themselves to coerce a desired partner into sex (March & Wagstaff, 2017). Further, heterosexual women who scored higher in Machiavellianism were more likely to fake
orgasms during sex (Brewer, Abell, & Lyons, 2016). Consistent with a tendency to use others, we suspect women high in Machiavellianism will be more likely to engage in foodie calls.
Second, women who score high in subclinical psychopathy may also be likely to engage in foodie calls. People who score higher in psychopathy tend to lack remorse, empathy, and thus
are unlikely to consider the perspective of their dates. They may fail to consider the intense negative emotions of being “led on” (Baumeister, Wotman, & Stillwell, 1993). We suspected
that women who score higher in psychopathy may lack the remorse and empathy that likely inhibits others from engaging in foodie calls.
