In their book titled Switch, Chip and Dan Heath summarize a very surprising study about our decision-making tendencies. The book is about change and what determines our capability to manage that change, or more succinctly, ‘How do we affect a Switch?’

This particular study was executed by Brian Wansink of Cornell University. In the study, two groups of moviegoers were provided with very large containers of popcorn, along with a soda, as they entered the movie theatre.

One group was provided with a medium container of popcorn that was more than one person could possibly consume during the movie. The second group was provided with an even larger container that the Heath brothers compared to an above-ground swimming pool.

And here’s the real kicker – the popcorn was lousy. It had been popped five days earlier and was likened to Styrofoam packing peanuts. It squeaked when it was consumed.

The results were astounding. Unknown to the participants, all buckets were weighed before and after the performance. The groups with the larger size of inexhaustible container consumed 53 per cent more wretched popcorn than the group with medium containers! That’s the equivalent of 173 more calories or 21 extra hand dips.

There were many studies and the outcomes were all the same. All other factors were controlled, including location, type of movie, hunger level, time, etc. The results were clear: People eat more when you give them a bigger container. Period.

Of course, there are certainly life lessons in this study related to eating habits and portion sizes but the importance extends beyond that conclusion as well.

The Heath brothers summarize this interesting popcorn study to emphasize the point that a change problem can be affected by the situation. What looks like a people problem (gluttony) is often a situation problem (availability). They acknowledge and discuss that change decisions are also affected by mind and heart, referred to as the ‘rider’ and the ‘elephant’ in the book. In fact, the conclusion is that the leader of change must do three things at once and influence all three factors to achieve desired changes in others’ activities and decisions.

However, this particular point is about influencing change by influencing the situation. Of course, the challenge is to take this piece of knowledge and apply it to each situation in your business to determine how that situation can be directed. How can you tweak the environment, build habits, rally the herd, and keep the Switch going?

If nothing else, pass out smaller containers of popcorn and we’ll all lose a pound or two.