It's no secret that sticking to your healthy diet is tougher when you eat out. There are the massive restaurant portion sizes, and sneaky calorie bombs (buffalo chicken salad, we're looking at you!) — and now new research suggests ambient lighting¹ can trick you into eating more too.

众所周知，在外面吃饭的时候还想保持健康饮食是比较困难的。饭店的食物分量很大，卡路里也极高（布法罗鸡肉沙拉，我们说的就是你！）。如今，新的研究表明，室内的灯光也许会令你不知不觉吃更多的东西。

For the study, published in The Journal of Marketing² Research, the researchers began by looking at the orders of 160 diners at four chain restaurants. Half the diners were seated in dimly-lit rooms, and half were seated in well-lit areas. The diners who were sitting in low light ordered 39% more calories. Meanwhile the people in brighter surroundings were 16% to 24% more likely to choose healthy menu items (think grilled³ fish or white meat and veggies). In follow-up experiments, the researchers replicated⁴ these results with hundreds of colleged-aged students.

在发布于《行销研究期刊》的这项研究中，调查人员研究了来自4家连锁饭店的160名用餐者的点菜单。有一半的用餐者坐在灯光昏暗的房间，另一半坐在灯光明亮的房间。前者点餐的卡路里总量要比后者高出39%。而且，在明亮环境里的人有16%-24%的几率会倾向于选择健康食品（例如烤鱼、烤白肉和素菜）。在后续实验中，调查员又研究了数百名大学生，得到了同样的结果。

What is it about brightness that leads us to eat smarter? "We feel more alert in brighter rooms and therefore tend to make more healthful, forward-thinking decisions," lead author Biswas, PhD, explained in a press release.

灯光的昏暗程度究竟是不是我们更明智地选择食物的原因呢？首席作者比斯瓦斯博士在一场媒体发布会上解释道："在明亮的房间里，人们警惕度会更高，会做出更有前瞻性的决定。"

In fact, the researchers found that when diners in dimly-lit rooms were given a coffee placebo⁵ (or simply asked to be more alert) they were just as likely as their peers in the well-lit rooms to make healthy food choices.

事实上，调查员发现，当向坐在灯光昏暗房间里的用餐者提供咖啡安慰剂（或者仅仅告诫他们学会谨慎）时，他们也会像那些坐在灯光明亮的房间里的人一样，选择健康食品。

It seems making healthy choices has more to do with the brightness of your mental state than the brightness of the room. So don't swear off candle-lit dinners yet.

这样看来，是否能做出健康的选择更大程度上取决于自己的心理状态而不是室内灯光的昏暗程度。所以，不要再抵触烛光晚餐啦。

The best way to avoid overindulging is to make yourself feel more alert, said co-author Wansink, PhD, the director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. That could mean going for a brisk walk before dinner, or splashing some water on your face for an instant energy boost.

康奈尔食物与品牌实验室的负责人、合著者万辛克博士表示，预防大吃大喝最好的方式是让自己时时刻刻处于警觉状态。也就是说，我们可以在晚餐前快步走一会儿，或者在脸上洒点水，瞬间清醒一下。