Glass Shape, Position can Increase the Amount of Wine You Drink

Trying to reduce wine intake? Then make sure you use a narrow glass and place the glass on a table before pouring wine.

People can reduce wine intake by using a narrow glass and pouring wine while keeping the glass on the table, a new study has found.

A latest research, conducted on a small study group, has found that people tend to over-drink when drinking from a wide glass. The study also found that people tend to drink more wine when they pour wine while holding the glass.

The study was conducted by researchers at Iowa State and Cornell universities and is published in the journal Substance Use and Misuse.

"People have trouble assessing volumes," said Laura Smarandescu, an assistant professor of marketing at Iowa State. "They tend to focus more on the vertical than the horizontal measures. That's why people tend to drink less when they drink from a narrow glass, because they think they're drinking more.

Unlike other alcoholic drinks that are measured by shots/pints, wine is poured from a bottle into a wide, long glass, which increases risk of overconsumption. People often lose track of how much wine they have had in a single evening because their brain doesn't register the 'extra wine.'

"If you want to pour and drink less wine, stick to the narrow wine glasses and only pour if your glass is on the table or counter and not in your hand - in either case you'll pour about 9-12 percent less," Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell, said in a news release.

The study included 73 people who drank at least one glass of wine per day. Researchers asked each participant to pour a glass of wine under different conditions.

The experts found that participants were more likely to over-pour when they held the glass in their hands or when they used a wide glass. Other environmental cues such as high contrast (red wine in clear glass) also led to drinking more wine.

Previous research has shown that certain environmental factors such as lighting or music can affect the amount of a food a person eats. The study highlights the importance of educating people about serving sizes as high alcohol intake can cause serious health problems.