If you were serving yourself or a friend a glass of wine, would you know how much wine you were pouring into a glass? I think most of us would say we did. Turns out, we don’t. A recent study co-authored by Doug Walker, Laura Smarandescu and Brian Wansink of Iowa State University and Cornell University, respectively, shows that on average we pour ourselves 12% more than we think we do. What is worse, the bigger and wider the glass is the more we pour. We measure according to visual cues and, according to Dr. Laura Smarandescu; we see volume as a vertical measurement, not horizontal, which explains why we over pour when using a broad, squat glass. To add insult to injury, we tend to serve ourselves even more white wine than red wine for the simple reason that we can’t see it as well.
Our eyes interpret the world around us. They are the gatekeepers of how much we consume. The challenge is our eyes are very sensitive to the environment around them. Shapes, color, size and distance help our eyes interpret what we see, but it is a relative perception. That is why it is hard for us to measure exactly. This can be a problem for our health. Overindulging in wine, without even realizing it, can promote weight gain and substance abuse. Not great for hangovers, either.
The super-sized world we live in sets us up for failure. How can we ever serve right-sized servings if we are using oversized dinnerware and glassware? Knowing what we now know about how our eyes measure, we can’t. The answer to right-sized drinks is to right size our glasses. Better yet, make sure the wine glass is tall and cylindrical. And when you pour, make sure you put the glass down on a surface and your glass is empty; that way we are giving our eyes the best possible set up to pour the amount of wine we think we are pouring into our wine glass.
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