In the experiment, half of the participants were asked to play "Solitaire" – a computer card game – while their partners ate the same but without distractions. Participants in the first group reported feeling less full after lunch, and thirty minutes later they ate twice as many snacks as their peers . Furthermore, when at the end of the session they were asked to recall what they had taken their memory failed them. The researchers conclude that distractions while we eat can cause an increase in the amount of food we eat throughout the day, something that has already been observed in people who eat while watching television. ? Memory and attention play a key role in regulating appetite and the amount of food we consume ,? concludes Jeff Brunstrom, co-author of the work published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .
