In its apparently never-ending quest for health, happiness, and statistics, Google studied consumption of its employees’ favorite candy:  m&m’s®.  Organic figs, nuts, and other healthy snacks were placed in clear containers; m&m’s® were put into opaque containers.  After seven weeks, the 2,000 Google employees in the New York office consumed 3.1 million fewer calories in m&m’s® form.  That was the equivalent of nine vending machine-size bags of m&m’s® for each of the 2,000 employees in the seven-week period!

I have only minimal will power when it comes to m&m’s®, so I rarely buy them.  If, however, they are placed in front of me (e.g., at an event or given as a gift for, say, my birthday), I give myself permission to eat them.  Kathy and Annette gave me a vending machine-size bag of m&m’s® for Christmas as well as an opaque container for them.  After we took down the Christmas tree, I put the little bagful of m&m’s® into the container and set it on the kitchen counter in plain sight.  (This was a gift, so my rules gave me permission to eat the candy.)  Google’s research is right:  That little bag of m&m’s® lasted more than a week.  The letters on the container are far less tempting than those colorful little chocolate bits in an open dish, and I pour fewer pieces into my hand than I grab from an open bowl.  Go, Google!