How Music Can Help You Cut Calories

Listen to a certain type of music next time you eat.
Listen to a certain type of music next time you eat.

Eating out is awesome, but the extra calories we tend to consume when we do it are…not so awesome.

By Korin Miller

According to new research, there's an easy way to eat less without tapping into your willpower reserves.

A Cornell study found that people tend to eat less at a restaurant when the lighting and music is softer (think: ambient lamps and chill jazz music). Even better, they enjoy the meal more in that setting.

Related: 7 Foods That Burn Fat

For the study, researchers made over a restaurant and found that diners ate 175 fewer calories with the lighting and music tweaks. That's not bad for a one-time visit, but if you eat out a lot, it can really add up.

What's up with that? Scientists say that soft lighting and relaxed music help you chill out and take your time eating. And when you eat slowly, you feel full faster, leading you to consume less overall.

Sure, the research was done at a restaurant, but odds are the same thing applies at home. So next time you're eating in, flip on a chill Pandora mix, turn off your overhead, and switch on a table lamp or two. You'll enjoy the meal more-and eat less.


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