Brian Wansink opens by presenting extensive research demonstrating that environmental cues — plate size, food visibility, portion presentation — significantly influence eating behavior below conscious awareness, often more significantly than genuine hunger or willpower.

Why these below-awareness environmental influences matter:

• Many people assume their eating behavior primarily reflects conscious choice and willpower, while Wansink's extensive research demonstrates environmental cues significantly shape eating behavior often without conscious awareness of this influence
• This finding reframes effective eating-behavior management toward environmental design rather than purely willpower-based approaches
• This opening establishes the book's foundational research-based premise, motivating its subsequent detailed examination of specific environmental influences

This opening establishes the book's foundational research-based premise regarding environmental cues' significant, often unconscious influence on eating behavior.