Scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark have found that viewing images of the same food multiple times can lead to a feeling of fullness. The results of the research have been published magazine appetite.
The study’s authors planned to test the theory that cognitive perception significantly influences appetite. For this reason, many product images in advertisements can arouse the desire to eat. According to scientists, it has the opposite effect.
The team gathered a group of volunteers of more than 1,000 people. At first, they only showed a picture of orange M&Ms. Some participants were shown the picture three times, others 30 times. Next, the participants were asked to choose a portion of the dessert they were willing to eat.
The results showed that the participants in the second group chose smaller portion sizes compared to the volunteers in the first group. They then repeated the experiment, this time with different colored M&Ms. The result has not changed.
“In our experiments, we showed that when participants saw the same picture of food 30 times, they felt more satiated than before they saw the picture,” the authors summarized.
The results obtained could potentially form the basis of a new weight loss strategy in the future.