British households drank 6.5 percent less wine each week when participants swapped their regular wine glasses for smaller ones provided by the researchers. Choosing to buy half-size bottles of wine (375ml) instead of the standard size you usually find in liquor stores (750ml) also reduced people’s drinking by 3.6 percent.
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The study authors recruited 260 UK households to participate in this trial, each of whom consumed at least two standard-sized bottles of wine each week. Over 14 days, the researchers asked participants to buy a set amount of wine and then provided them with either smaller glasses (290 ml) or larger glasses (350 ml) to drink from. The team measured each household’s drinkability using photos of the wine purchased and by weighing the contents on standard scales.
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Researchers note that wine is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Europe. However, the public drinks most of it at home – and not in bars, pubs or restaurants. Previous studies have found that using larger glasses increases the amount of sales for wine businesses. Furthermore, the average drink glass has also increased in size dramatically over the past few decades. The study’s authors believe their findings could lead to a “market fix” that helps people drink less and resets what society considers an “acceptable cup size” for alcohol.