Looking to Lose Weight? This Genius Trick Will Help You Achieve Your Goal

A study found that serving small portions on a large table creates an optical illusion that distracts diners and influences the calorie intake of that meal.

The research, published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, was conducted by food scientists from Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, with 219 participants. They were seated at four tables of varying sizes, with slices of pizza served. The research team ordered four large pizzas, which they cut into regular slices (1/8) and small slices (1/16). The pizza slices were distributed among the four tables. On one large table, regular-sized slices were placed, while on another large table, small slices were served. On one small table, regular-sized slices were served, and on the other small table, small slices were served. After the participants sat at the tables, they were told they could eat as much pizza as they wanted. During the eating, the researchers stood aside and monitored the total number of pizza slices consumed by the participants.

After the experiment, participants were asked how they perceived the size of the pizza slices. The findings showed that when slices were placed on small tables, participants correctly identified that some of the pizza slices were smaller than usual. This led to consuming those slices twice as much as those who ate small slices from the large tables. In other words, the researchers found that the large table created an optical illusion, distracting the participants, as the pizza slices appeared larger to them than they actually were, leading them to consume the same number of slices as those who ate regular-sized slices from the large table.

"If you want to eat less, serve food in small quantities on large tables," concluded Brennan Davis, the lead researcher of the study.