Eating in a quiet environment makes people eat less

When we hear our chewing sounds, we eat less and more consciously
Many people are trying to lose weight. To achieve this goal, there are various methods, such as diet and exercise. Or you just eat less by listening to the sound of their chewing. A recent study found that we eat less when we hear our chewing sounds.

Are you one of those people who are constantly trying to eat less or lose a few pounds? Then the results of a new study might help them. Researchers at Brigham Young University and Colorado State University have now discovered that the sound of chewing helps us eat less. The physicians published their work in the journal "Food Quality and Preference".

When we are in a silent environment while eating and can hear our chewing noises, we eat less. Scientists call this the crunching effect. (Image: gkrphoto / fotolia.com)

Quiet environment increases awareness of food intake
If they hear their own chewing while eating, they eat less, say the doctors. So turn off your radio and TV when you eat your meals. A quiet environment helps us to eat less because it increases our awareness of food intake. With this small and simple trick we could possibly lose a few pounds. The phenomenon discovered is called the "crunch effect," say the scientists. So far, consumers and researchers have not paid much attention to the noise of eating food, says Professor Gina Mohr of Colorado State University. The researchers are not talking about the hiss of bacon or Popcorn pops, but sounds that arise during chewing.

Researchers are trying to understand the impact of the crunch effect
If you like watching TV while you eat, you are lacking in an important food intake. This can lead to more food, say the experts. The researchers performed three separate experiments on the effect of the "crunch effect". The physicians found that even thinking about eating sounds can help to reduce the consumption of food. The intriguing discovery was that people eat less when the sound of chewing is more intense, say the authors. In the study, the subjects wore headphones that sounded either loud or quiet while they ate various snacks. The louder the noise covered the sound of chewing, the more the subjects ate. In the noisy group, the participants ate four pretzels, compared to 2.75 pretzels consumed by participants in the "silent" group, explain the physicians.

More and more people are eating in front of the TV
The effects do not seem to be really big at first. It's just a pretzel, but over the course of a week, a month, or an entire year, the extra food intake could add up dramatically, the experts warn. So people should pay attention not only to the taste and appearance of food, but also to the tone the food makes when eating. This could make the small difference that makes consumers eat less, say the doctors. Food in front of the TV has become increasingly popular in recent decades and more and more families would eat their food on the sofa in front of the TV. Allegedly, four out of ten parents are supposed to have their child eat their meals in front of the television, the scientists explain. (As)