Environmental Factors that Unknowingly Increase a Consumer's Food Intake and Consumption Volume

Package size, plate shape, lighting, socializing, and variety are only a few of the environmental factors that can influence the consumption volume of food far more than most people realize. Although such environmental factors appear unrelated, they generally influence consumption volume by inhibiting consumption monitoring and by suggesting alternative consumption norms. For researchers, this review shows that redirecting our focus to the "whys" or the psychological mechanisms behind consumption will raise the profile and impact of our research. For health professionals, this review underscores how small structural changes in one's immediate environments can reduce one's unknowing over-consumption of food