If there is one thing that research into eating behaviors has told us, it is that we are some gullible humans. Seriously, our perceptions about eating are influenced by numerous things in the environment such as the colors, ambiance, and food presentation. It’s not entirely our fault though, as most of the environmental effects are incredibly subtle and appeal to our subconscious. Who considers the size of a plate or presence of a food label when eating? Yet they have power. Interestingly, many of the ways through which the environment acts depends upon us. Drinking coffee from a white mug, for example, does not cause the coffee to taste bitterer because of some variable the white mug imparts onto the coffee but rather because the white color contrasts the coffee color and influenced the perceived “brownness” of the coffee that implies a stronger brew. Similarly, perceiving a food to be “healthy”...
