There’s a routine for delicious cuisine: Performing a ritual before eating could improve the taste of food, says new research from the University of Minnesota.
In an experiment, participants either opened a bar of chocolate under a specific set of instructions—for example, breaking the bar in half before unwrapping it—or ate it normally. People who went through the routine enjoyed their food more, spent more time eating, and said the chocolate was more flavorful than the non-ritual group.
When you act out a tradition—like setting the table or blowing out the candles of a birthday cake—you zoom in on what you’re doing. This is a process called “involvement,” says lead researcher Kathleen Vohs, Ph.D. Involvement is similar to mindfulness, and helps you enjoy the moment more, she adds.
Try it out by cutting your food into smaller bites before eating. You may get more enjoyment out of your meal, and one study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who took large bites of food consumed 52 percent more calories in one sitting than those who took small bites and chewed longer.
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