Science Says This is the Secret to Craving Control

New year, new you, right? Maybe so, but anyone with a stomach (or a conscience) knows that the junk food cravings always carry over from December into January – especially when trying to keep on an #EatClean diet regimen.

A new study is offering hope on those who simply can’t say no to a late-night sweet. The study, conducted by the Journal of Marketing Research, found that the little evil voice in your head can be warded off by fillng your own plate with food, as opposed to having abuela or some other superpower serve it to you.

Specifically, the experiment showed that people are far more likely to eat unhealthy snacks when there is “less physical involvement required to help themselves to the food”. In the study, volunteers entered a lab where there was a bowl of candy on the table. Surprisingly, no one took candy. Instead, the volunteers were more likely to eat the candy when served in individual cups.

The jury’s still out on whether or not the same would hold true if a fresh flan was on the table, but for your waistline’s sake, it’s better to be self-sufficient and cut your own piece.