When dining out, we often tend to look for a place which has a calm ambiance and is not noisy. Guess what? Eating at such a place can help you shed the few extra pounds you have been carrying. According to a new study, adding soft music and lighting to a restaurant causes the customers to eat less and enjoy their food more.

The study was carried out by researchers at the Cornell University; led by Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing at the university.

During the course of their study, Wansink and his team did a makeover of a fast food restaurant to check the reaction of the customers. Wansink says, “When we did a makeover of a fast-food restaurant, we found that softer music and lighting led diners to eat 175 fewer calories and enjoy it more.”

A reduction of up to 175 calories means that the customers were, on average, eating 18 percent less food! This is remarkable since the study shows how a calm state of mind can greatly help people in controlling their diet and keeping their weight in control.

In the past, converse approaches have shown that when depressed, people tend to eat a lot. This study is new in that it shows how adding feel-good factors to the immediate dining environment can help a person enjoy food while reducing his intake at the same time.

Wansink aptly sums it, “These results suggest that a more relaxed environment increases satisfaction and decreases consumption. This is important information for fast-food restaurants, which are often accused of contributing to obesity. Making simple changes away from brighter lights and sound-reflecting surfaces can go a long way toward reducing overeating—and increase their customers’ satisfaction at the same time.”

Source: Cornell University

Courtesy: Futurity

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