A University of Pennsylvania study suggested Thursday that people will eat any size food portion that is offered to them.
The authors of the study said people assume the portion given to them, no matter what the size, is appropriate due to a "culturally induced" norm, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.
Researchers offered free Tootsie Rolls, M&Ms and soft pretzels in public places and noted the amounts people consumed. The experiment was repeated, offering different sized portions of the candy and cut up pretzels.
"They ended up consuming considerably more when there was a larger size spoon or (product)," said Andrew Geier, the study's lead author and a doctoral candidate in experimental psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
The study, published in the Psychological Science journal, suggested that portion control could be the key to controlling overeating in the United States.
"It is our belief that a small percentage change in portion size would change consumption by the same percentage," the study's authors wrote.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
No-fishing zones studied for ecosystem protection
(AP) -- Reeling in a 45-pound grouper used to be just an average day on the water in the Florida Keys. The abundance of behemoth fish attracted anglers from around the world in the early 1900s, including adventurers such as Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey, who pulled in monsters from the clear, warm depths off Key West.
Project succeeding to relocate Caspian terns
A major initiative to create alternative nesting sites for the largest colony of Caspian terns in the world – and to help protect juvenile salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River – is finding early success.
Study finds 21st birthday binge drinking extremely common; can pose serious health hazards
The “21 for 21” ritual, where 21st birthday revelers attempt to down 21 alcoholic drinks, is highly prevalent among college students, according to new research. In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the University of Missouri determined that many college students drink to excess on their 21st birthdays and potentially jeopardize their health.
New source for biofuels discovered
A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin who say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation’s transportation fuel if production can be scaled up.
Paired earthquakes separated in time and space
Earthquakes occurring at the edges of tectonic plates can trigger events at a distance and much later in time, according to a team of researchers reporting in today's issue of
Nature. These doublet earthquakes may hold an underestimated hazard, but may also shed light on earthquake dynamics.
Jefferson neurosurgeons using new liquid treatment for wide-neck brain aneurysm
Neurological surgeons at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience are among the first surgeons in the United States using an FDA-approved liquid system for treating wide-necked brain aneurysms, which could eventually replace current treatments.
Satellite shows regional variation in warming from sun during solar cycle
A NASA satellite designed, built and controlled by the University of Colorado at Boulder is expected to help scientists resolve wide-ranging predictions about the coming solar cycle peak in 2012 and its influence on Earth's warming climate, according to the chief scientist on the project.
Georgia Tech Takes Comprehensive Biofuels Approach
We feel it at the pump. Fuel prices are at record highs and so is the demand for alternative fuels. But major scientific and technological advances are still required before economically viable alternative fuels become a significant part of the U.S. energy supply.