Taste Tests

In Cornell's food lab, wacky experiments analyze how we decide what--and how much--to eat

Ben Stechschulte / Redux

Dr. Brian Wansink in the Cornell University food lab. Ithaca, New York.

I know I'm being experimented on. In fact, I've read the results of these particular psych tests. But I still feel like a jerk as I dip a teaspoon into the applesauce jar yet another time and fill up a tiny saucer, trying to serve myself exactly as much applesauce as I did when I used a big spoon and a big plate. As predicted by previous results, the bigger spoon caused me to serve myself almost 15% more, the big plate 25% more. I also overestimate--by 50%--when I try to pour a shot into a wide glass instead of a...

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