Quick, hide your candy!
Researchers at Cornell have discovered that the type of container you keep your candy in, as well as where that container is placed, can make a dramatic difference in how much of that candy you eat.
In a new study, 40 female university staff and faculty members were given jars filled with Hershey’s kisses. Some of the women were given clear containers and some opaque ones. Additionally, some had the jars placed on their desks, while others had them placed six feet away. Each night the number of candies eaten was tabulated and the jars refilled.
Those with clear jars ate the most; the women with the jars on their desks averaged 7.7 candies daily, while the women who had to walk six feet ate 5.6 daily. Those with the opaque jars fared better; the women with the jars on their desks ate an average of 4.6 candies daily, while the women who had to walk six feet ate just 3.1.
The researchers also noted that the women who had to walk to get the candies consistently gave higher estimates of the number they had eaten.
The take-away: Keep the stuff you don’t want to eat out of your house entirely, and put the stuff you do want to eat where you can’t avoid it.
[tags]studies,diet,candy,weight loss,tips [/tags]