Is it possible to happily eat less?

Eat less and be happy

Try this for size: The 'Happy Meal' could be the answer to our nation's obesity epidemic. Not the actual contents of a McDonald's kid's meal, but the concept of it.

Researchers found that offering a small incentive with a meal consistently motivates kids and adults to choose smaller portions.

How to make eating less more fun

According to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, the brain responds to a small toy, gift card, or lottery ticket in the same way it does to a mouth-watering burger or cheese-slathered pizza.

In a series of experiments, the researchers found that the majority of children and adults chose a half-sized portion paired with a toy or monetary prize over a full-sized portion without a toy or monetary prize. The price of the two options was kept the same.

"The fact that participants were willing to substitute part of a tangible food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary premium is intriguing," said one of the researchers, Martin Reimann.

What's more, people were strongly motivated to choose half a burger or pizza even if they were hungry. And they didn't compensate by eating more calories later.

Make non-food rewards work for your diet

The good news for dieters is that these findings imply that individuals can reward themselves for eating less food with non-food items. "This substitution of rewards assists consumers in staying happy and satisfied," they said.

Individuals could also celebrate other achievements, like a job promotion, with something other than food and still be happy.

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