10 Amazing Life Hacks That Are Actually Backed By Science

4. Eat Off Smaller Plates To Lose Weight

Those attempting to shift their nacho weight and blossom a miraculous six pack in time for the summer are often told to simply eat off smaller plates as though we're easily-influenced fooled toddlers.

Turns out that this is based on a legit phenomenon known as the Delboeuf Illusion, in which the brain will assume that the same portion on a smaller plate is actually bigger. Research suggests that we like to fill our plates to at least 70%, and that we tend to consume about 92% of that - perhaps making ourselves feel better by leaving a small amount.

Another phenomenon, known as Unit Bias is also at play here. Human brains aren't very good at thinking about quantities, and we're programmed to split the world up into units. Whether a portion is 100g or 1000g, we'll think of it as a single unit and it is this, coupled with the Delboeuf Illusion that is at the basis of those little portion control hacks.