{"152411":{"#nid":"152411","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Music, Lighting Change Eating Patterns in Fast Food Restaurant","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study from Georgia Tech and Cornell University shows that softer lighting and relaxing ambient music in a fast food restaurant affects the eating patterns of customers. The report shows that customers in fancier dining areas will eat up to 18 percent fewer calories than those in typical restaurant conditions. The findings are \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.amsciepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.2466\/01.PR0.111.4.228-232?prevSearch=[author%3A+van+ITTERSUM%2C+KOERT]\u0026amp;searchHistoryKey=\u0022\u003Epublished online\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal Psychological Reports.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Professor Koert van Ittersum and Cornell\u2019s Brian Wansink modified the dining area of a Hardee\u2019s restaurant for the study. One half of the seating area was unchanged and featured the typical fast food environment: bright colors and lighting, loud noise and music. The other side of the restaurant was transformed into a soundproof, fine dining area, complete with pictures, window shades, indirect lighting and white tablecloths. Jazz music was also piped into the area.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECustomers were randomly seated, timed while eating and surveyed after the meal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs expected, van Ittersum noticed that people in both areas ordered similar foods and similar numbers of calories. \u201cBut those in the fine dining area ate an average of 18 percent less of their meals, even though they spent more time at the table,\u201d he said. \u201cThose sitting in the fancier area also rated the food as tasting better than those who sat in the traditional dining section.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrevious studies have shown that people are more likely to eat faster and spend less time at the table if the restaurant is loud.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese are clues for people who want to control their calories,\u201d said van Ittersum, a professor in the Scheller College of Business. \u201cThe more relaxing the environment, the less a person tends to eat.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study from Georgia Tech and Cornell University shows that softer lighting and relaxing ambient music in a fast food restaurant affects the eating patterns of customers. The report shows that customers in fancier dining areas will eat up to 18 percent fewer calories than those in typical restaurant conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study from Georgia Tech and Cornell University shows that softer lighting and relaxing ambient music in a fast food restaurant affects the eating patterns of customers."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-09-07 10:26:54","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:47","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"48196":{"id":"48196","type":"image","title":"Koert van Ittersum","body":null,"created":"1449175379","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:42:59","changed":"1475894455","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:55","alt":"Koert van Ittersum","file":{"fid":"190139","name":"van-ittersumnews.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/van-ittersumnews.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/van-ittersumnews.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":62088,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/van-ittersumnews.jpg?itok=RUpLilVl"}}},"media_ids":["48196"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.amsciepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.2466\/01.PR0.111.4.228-232?prevSearch=[author%3A+van+ITTERSUM%2C+KOERT]","title":"Full Study"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"35511","name":"College of Business"},{"id":"42871","name":"Fast Food"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}