Want to lose weight and still eat chocolate? Turn up the lights!

If all the Christmas celebrations have had a bad effect on your waistline but you still can’t keep away from the chocolate box of sweet and salty delights then here’s something to help. Turn up the brightness of your lights.

Apparently sweet and salty foods taste nicer when consumed under dimmed lighting, a study of more than 300 people has discovered. It goes a long way to explaining why the pick ‘n’ mix and popcorn at cinemas are always so delicious. Researchers rom Mercer University of Georgia in the United States asked participants to eat a square of milk chocolate, with about half wearing tinted sunglasses to mimic a dark room. Those in glasses rated the chocolate higher than those without the shades. Biscuits, crisps and cheese when tested all had similar results.