A study by the University of Florida found that using a fork and eating from smaller, less fancy, and even paper plates will help prevent overeating.

 

It also claims that putting mirrors in your dining room will help weight loss because they actually make junk food taste worse.

 

The researchers asked 185 undergraduates to choose chocolate cake or a fruit salad and evaluate the taste.

 

Those who ate them in a room with a mirror scored the taste of the junk food lower than those in a room without one, but it had no effect on the fruit salad.

 

Lead scientist, Dr Ata Jami of the University of Central Florida, said: 'A glance in the mirror tells people more than just about their physical appearance.

 

'It enables them to view themselves objectively and helps them to judge themselves and their behaviors in a same way that they judge others.'

 

The mirrors were found to push the subjects to compare and match their own behaviours with accepted social standards.

 

The study's authors believe it proves that people don't want to look in the mirror when they feel that they are now adhering to those social standards.

 

When they do look in the mirror, feelings of discomfort¹ and failure are enhanced.

 

Therefore, the presence of the mirror induces a discomfort and lowers the perceived taste of unhealthy food.

 

But, this is only the case if the person selects the food they are eating because they are responsible for that choice.

 

The study suggests that mirrors be placed in dining rooms and other eating spaces so people will start eating more healthily

 

The study was published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research.

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