Control the urge to splurge – try dividing things up

Partitions can control overindulgence

Good things come in small packages — like the Nabisco 100 Calorie Pack. But do these portion-controlled offerings help dieters lose weight?

Amar Cheema

According to Cheema, “The effectiveness of mechanisms like snack packs can diminish over time. People grow accustomed to them and may start eating more than one pack in a sitting. Consumers may require a variety of frequently changing partitions to curb overindulgence.”

He also warned of another risk: “Sometimes, calorie-counted packs are touted as being ‘guilt-free.’ Consequently, people may not keep track of how many they eat in a week and consume more than they would from products in regular packaging. In our research, we find that partitions work well when they are novel and when people are trying to control consumption.”

Cheema and Soman’s paper, “The Effect of Partitions on Controlling Consumption,” will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Marketing Research.

Editor’s note: Professor Cheema is available for live or taped interviews using Washington University’s free VYVX or ISDN lines. Please contact Shula Neuman at (314) 935-5202 for assistance.