You've heard that when something’s out of sight, it’s out of mind—but new research suggests that putting something out of sight could help keep it out of your mouth, too. A study from St. Bonaventure University in New York, published in the journal Appetite, found that the farther away your food is, the less likely you are to want to eat it—regardless of how much you love its taste.
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Researchers gathered 56 participants in one room and divided them into two groups. They placed apple slices within arm’s reach of one of the groups and put buttered popcorn about seven feet away from them—meaning those group members had to get up and walk to get the popcorn. But they switched it around for the other group, putting the popcorn within arm’s reach and the apples farther away. And in the end, even though the participants said they liked the popcorn more, on average, they ended up eating more of the food that was right in front of them. As a result, people ate the least amount of calories when the popcorn was placed far away.
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It comes down to the fact that we, as humans, are inherently lazy. Even if we like junk food more, researchers say we're less likely to go on a mission to get it if it’s far away (i.e., requires getting off the couch). The munchie moral: Take advantage of your sloth-like tendencies by keeping good-for-you snacks closer to you at all times. That way, when the urge to munch strikes while you’re watching New Girl, you’ll be too comfy to get up and go raid the pantry for cookies—so you’ll settle for the apples, which will be much sweeter in the end.
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