Behavioral Mimicry as a Strategy to Increase Drinking Behaviors in Older Adults

Purpose Individuals with dysphagia, particularly in the presence of dementia, are at high risk for decreased nutrition and hydration. Unfortunately, current treatment options are not without limitations and often ignore the crucial social aspects of mealtimes. The aim of this exploratory, proof-of-concept study was to examine whether the social phenomenon of nonconscious behavioral mimicry can increase drinking behaviors in healthy older adults. Method Forty-two older adults (M _age = 68.26 years, SD = 6.49) participated. Participants and a member of the research team posing as another participant (a confederate) took turns describing two series of pictures, while, unbeknownst to the participants, the confederate either frequently drank from a cup of water or touched the cup. The primary outcome measures (number of drinks per minute, number of cup touches per minute, percentage of time spent drinking, and percentage of time spent touching the cup) were coded and analyzed across both the confederate drinking and cup-touching conditions. Results Participants drank more frequently and spent more task time drinking during the confederate drinking condition as compared to the cup-touching condition. There was significant variability in drinking patterns across participants, with some only drinking when they were not engaged in the picture description task. Conclusions Behavioral mimicry may increase drinking behaviors in healthy older adults, although the effect may not be as robust among certain subsets of individuals. Clinically, mimicry may hold potential as a powerful, noninvasive supplemental mealtime strategy for increasing intake in those who are most at risk for malnutrition.