Why Americans Engage in "Mindless Eating"

The psychology of why we overeat was recently featured on NBC's popular morning news program the Today Show, and the explanations may surprise you. Food psychologist and author of the book, "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" Brian Wansink explained some of the common factors that influence our eating in public facilities. Rather than look into the internal motives for overeating, the segment explained how environmental influences can greatly effect how much we consume at a single sitting.

Mr. Wansink offered an interesting speculation as to why we eat so much more at a buffet than we would at home. Most likely a buffet customer will consume two or three plates of food plus dessert, not nearly as much as one would eat had they stayed home for dinner or even if they ordered a single entrée at a restaurant. The reason suggested on the show is due to the variety of tastes offered. The human palate tastes a variety of flavors and textures at a buffet and is far less likely to become bored. Also, we tend to want to "try" everything and will force ourselves to eat more just to get a taste.

Another interesting point regarding eating is actually based on the psychology of marketing. In one study highlighted on the segment by Brain Wansink, two identical bottles of wine were each given different labels before being offered to restaurant customers. One label stated that the wine was from North Dakota, and the other label said it was made in California. Not only did the participants consistently choose the wine from California, but also they said it tasted better than the wine from North Dakota. People who imbibed on the California wine also enjoyed their food more than those who were given the North Dakota wine with their meal did.

Another marketing strategy highlighted on the show involved menu content. People enjoyed their food much more if a few descriptive words were added such as "Red beans served Cajun style over a bed rice" rather than a simple "Red beans and rice". The words conjure a more enticing image and create a sense of eating good food regardless of the taste.

Long known as a trick of the mind for dieters, plate size seems to effect stomach size. A smaller plate with 8 ounces of pasta creates the illusion that the restaurant is serving a larger portion. Conversely a larger plate with an 8 ounce portion will cause the mind to feel like it did not consume enough. Some restaurants may opt for the "large portion" trick to entice customers while other may use the "small portion" illusion to guarantee an order of dessert or other menu items.

This type of "mindless eating" can be found anywhere food is served, including the movie theater. One study presented by Mr. Wansink assigned some movie-goers with a large bucket of stale 5 day old popcorn and gave other participants a small bucket of fresh popcorn. On average the people given the large bucket ate 35% more popcorn than those given the small bucket, despite the freshness factor.

One suggestion offered on the Today Show was the "pick two" rule when dining out. When going to a restaurant choose just two items from the menu - an alcoholic drink, appetizer, entrée or dessert. Most people will consume all four, or a combination of the options adding up to four or more such as two drinks, an entrée and dessert. This is an enormous amount of calories which can add up to 2000 or more in a single sitting.

It would appear that the best option is to just stay home and enjoy yourself a nice home cooked meal.

Besides overeating, restaurant foods are loaded with all sorts of unhealthy additives. So in addition to overindulging your body is being overloaded with sodium, monosodium glutamate and other additives. If you are dining out, be aware of what you consume and try to keep it similar to a portion you would eat at home.

NBC, "Mindless Eating", The Today Show