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Craving a bar of chocolate or a bag of potato chips? Here's a tip: indulge in a bite, then...wait. According to a new study conducted by researchers from Cornell University in the United States and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, the large portions so common on American plates do make people eat greater quantities of food. However, they do not actually make eaters feel any more full. The study indicates that eating for pleasure is more likely a function of having available food rather than having a greater appetite.

The study was conducted with 104 adults. Half were restricted to smaller quantities of snacks like chocolate, potato chips or apple pie,  while the other half of the group were given access to large quantities, up to 10 times the portions given to the small portion group. Indeed, the people with large portions ate 77 percent more calories than the people who ate small ones. However, both groups felt the same amount of hunger pangs after eating. Both the group that had consumed small and large portions felt no more hunger after 15 minutes.

"Just a bit satisfies, not magnifies, hunger and craving tendencies for snacks." Brian Wansink wrote in the study. "So, how much chocolate would you need to eat to be satisfied? Less than half as much as you think. If you want to control your weight, here's the secret: Take a bite and wait. After 15 minutes all you'll remember - in your head and in your stomach - is that you had a tasty snack."

The news will likely be welcome for people still holding onto their New Year's Resolution to lose weight. By eating half the portions, it might be expected that they would be twice as hungry. However, the study proves that is not the case.

The study was published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.