You eat more when food is closer.

People will only walk so far¾even for food. One study found people ate 9 chocolates from a clear bowl placed on their desk. Move the bowl 6 feet away and they ate only 4.

That’s a difference of 125 calories simply from moving a bowl a little father away! If you eat 125 extra calories just a few times a week, that’s an extra 4 pounds gained each year.

Other studies have found that employees will eat more if their desks are stocked with food, or when a package of food is open, or if the food is nearby. Being hungry doesn’t matter. What matters is the food.

Merely having food closer encourages you to eat more. It seems that the harder you make something to eat, the less likely people are to eat it.