A recent study has suggested that learning to control and manipulate the mind could help with obesity treatment.
According to the research conducted at the University of Bristol, believing that they were consuming larger portions than they really were lead participants to feel fuller for long.
Dr Jeff Brunstrom, reader in behavioural nutrition at the institution, commented: "The extent to which a food can alleviate hunger is not determined solely by its physical size, energy content, and so on.
"Instead, it is influenced by prior experience with a food, which affects our beliefs and expectations about satiation."
The doctor added that this then influences the portions sizes we choose and has an immediate effect on how hungry we feel after eating.
Memory was also found to play a part in people's eating habits.
Datamonitor's latest statistics revealed that 34.7 per cent of children in the UK aged between five and 13 are diagnosed as overweight or obese.