June 9, 2016.
Increasing the size of the glasses would cause an increase in the consumption of wine. British researchers came to this conclusion by conducting a 16-week study in an English pub.
Wine sales would increase by 10% with tall glasses
Wine consumers would be encouraged to drink more when their glass has a large capacity, even if the quantity of wine remains the same. British researchers at the University of Cambridge say that increasing the size of the glasses would lead to an increase in wine consumption of 10%. Their study was published in the journal BMC Public Health.
To achieve this, scientists from the Behavior and Health Research Unit (BHRU), in collaboration with Professor Marcus Munafo from the University of Bristol, carried out a study in real conditions in a Cambridge establishment, between March and July 2015. The Pint Shop is a restaurant which also has an independent bar. The wine is offered there by the glass of 125 ml or 175 ml in a container of 300 ml.
The size of the glass would change our perception of its capacity
During the 16 weeks of this study, the owners of the establishment changed the size of their glasses every two weeks by alternating the standard size (300 ml), larger models of 370 ml and smaller ones ( 250 ml). At the end of these weeks, scientists found that the volume of wine sold daily increased, on average, by 9.4% when sold in tall glasses. This is mainly true on the bar side where sales increased by 14.4%.
” We have found that increasing the size of wine glasses, even without increasing the amount of wine, leads people to drink more », Explains Dr Rachel Pechey, member of the BHRU. ” Tall glasses may change our perception of the amount of wine, leading us to drink more. It is also interesting that people do not consume less wine when the glasses are smaller. “, Adds the specialist.
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