Soft Music in Fast-Food Restaurants Make Customers Eat Less?

Providing a peaceful and comfortable environment involving soft music and soft lights could make customers in fast food restaurants eat less, a new study published in the journal Psychological Reports reveals.

Researchers from Cornell University and Georgia Institute of Technology conducted the study at Hardee's restaurant in Champaign, Illinois. The researchers divided the restaurants in two areas, with the first area decorated with soft lighting and having soft jazz music being played in the background while the second area had the normal atmosphere of the restaurant.

Around 62 people participated in the study with researchers finding that on average while the customers sat for longer duration in the redecorated area, they ate 18 percent less compared to customers who sat in the regular fast food environment.

"It's a matter of mood and how you feel. If the music is nice and the lighting is nice people enjoy the experience more and they like to hang out. This may create a more mellow atmosphere and people talk to each other more they get distracted", lead researcher Koert Van Ittersum said.


Source: Medindia