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Empty bags, fuller stomachs: how empty packages give the illusion of fullness (626.19)
Author(s) -
Tal Aner,
Wansink Brian
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.626.19
Subject(s) - plastic bag , meal , table (database) , significant difference , illusion , portion size , psychology , food science , mathematics , statistics , database , cognitive psychology , biology , computer science , engineering , mechanical engineering
Leftovers from one’s meal serve as an external cue to how much a person has eaten, and consequently to fullness (Wansink 2006). The current study aimed to examine whether empty bags that are left on a table unrelatedly to how much a person has eaten are also taken as an external cue to fullness, leading people to report a higher level of fullness. Participants (N = 63) approached a table containing empty bags of Lays potato chips. Participants were randomly assigned to either a small or large bags condition, with the table containing 5 small (1.88 ounces) or 5 large (10 ounces) empty bags respectively. The presence of the empty bags was justified by bowls of chips given to participants to eat after completion of satiety measure at the tables. Satiety was measured with three 9‐point items measuring hunger, fullness, and desire to eat. Participants facing large bags reported a higher level of satiety (4.64) than did participants facing small bags (3.8). The difference was significant at a .01 level: t(62) = ‐2.69. It appears that having larger empty bags signaled to participants that they had eaten more, leading them to report a higher level of satiety.