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20th August 2020
03:01pm BST

Photo: Erik McLean on Unsplash[/caption]
Just imagine how much grub Manchester United fans got through watching Maguire and Lindelof try and defend against Sevilla.
So how did scientists come to this conclusion?
Researchers tested 120 people, giving them lower and higher calorie drinks and giving them tasks which demanded both low and high amounts of attention. The drinks were then followed by snacks, to judge how much people would eat while distracted.
People who were given a task where they had to pay a high level of attention to something distracting them were less able to judge when they felt full. As a result, they ate more of the snacks offered to them.
However, people who were given a less-distracting task consumed 45% less of their snacks.
Participants were tested on how much crisps they ate while distracted. (Photo: iStock)[/caption]
Professor Martin Yeomans from the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, said:
"Our study suggests that if you're eating or drinking while your attention is distracted by a highly engaging task, you're less likely to be able to tell how full you feel. You're more likely to keep snacking than if you'd been eating while doing something less engaging."
This has implications if you're trying to lose weight, says Yeomans.
"This is important for anyone wanting to stay a healthy weight. If you're a habitual TV-watching snacker - watching, an engaging thriller or mystery, or a film with a lot of audio or visual effects - you're not likely to notice when you feel full. Video-gamers and crossword solvers should also take note."
Previous studies have shown that feeling full can be affected by the texture and appearance of your meals.
"Now we also know that feeling full depends on how much sensory information our brains are processing at the time," says Yeomans.Explore more on these topics: