“When I eat a cookie, I always eat around the edges until I get to the middle, which is always my last bite,” physiology senior Taran Silva said.

The basis of this change in perception comes from the increased focus that surrounds performing rituals. When a food is eaten in a particular manner, it requires the consumer to put forth more effort to focus. This heightened focus increases taste perception which, in turn, allows for more satisfaction.

Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight or eat healthier? These findings could come in handy to help follow those resolutions.

Kathleen Vohs, a psychological scientist at the University of Minnesota, was especially curious about the power of rituals performed prior to eating and drinking. She conducted a study where she separated subjects into two groups.

Each group was given a chocolate bar to eat, but the two groups were given different instructions on how to go about eating it. The first group of subjects was given a set of detailed instructions: Break the bar in half while it is still in the wrapper. Unwrap half of the bar and eat it then unwrap the other half of the bar and eat. The second group of subjects was simply told to relax and eat the bar in at their leisure.

The results of the study were that the subjects who were given a specific set of instructions savored the chocolate more, rated it higher and were willing to pay more for it compared to the second group. The study confirmed her curiosity about ritualistic behavior surrounding foods and their impact on taste perception and satisfaction.

After the first study was performed, Vohs still was interested in the details of ritualistic behavior and continued to investigate the subject. She conducted more studies, and the results showed that the rituals require personal involvement (meaning that the act must be done by the person doing the eating, not observed by someone else) and that a longer delay between the ritual and eating the food heightened the ritualistic effects.

Next time you sit down to a meal, give it a try. Stir your drink three times before you take a sip. Put your fork down between bites. The ritual doesn’t have to be a huge production — it can be something as simple as saying “I will savor this meal and taste the flavor.” This little change could help you be more satisfied with less food.

Colleen Kokx is a dietetics senior and member of the MSU Food and Nutrition Association. Reach her at kokxcoll@msu.edu.