A Field Study of Relatively Long Chopsticks Reduce Food Consumption

Abstract

In this study, we examined the influence of chopstick length on diners’ food consumption in a Chinese box restaurant. Diners were randomly offered chopstick of two lengths (23 and 19 cm), and after they finished eating, their lunch boxes were weighed to measure the actual quantity of food consumed in a real dining environment. The results indicated that diners who used the long chopsticks consumed a lower quantity of food and had fewer mouthfuls than did those who used the short chopsticks, suggesting that long chopsticks can help control the quantityof food consumed without affecting diners’ satisfaction with the dining experience. Our findings and those of previous research prove that bite size is the main factor mediating the relationship between a utensil’s physical characteristics and people’s food consumption.