The amount of wine a person drinks depends upon the glass size, color contrast and the way it is held.

A new study has found that people drink less wine from a narrow glass when it is poured, kept on a table. Over-drinking happens when people drink wine in a wide glass and when it is poured while holding the glass in the hand.

The study conducted by researchers at the at Iowa State and Cornell universities has been published in the journal 'Substance Use and Misuse'.

The researchers arrived at the conclusion after studying 73 people who drank at least one glass of wine per day. They asked each participant to pour a glass of wine during different circumstances.

The scientists found that participants were more likely to pour larger quantity of wine when they held the glass in their hands or when they used a wide glass. Plus, red wine poured in a clear glass also resulted in over-consumption of the beverage.

"People have trouble assessing volumes," Laura Smarandescu, an assistant professor of marketing at Iowa State, said in an official statement. "They tend to focus more on the vertical than the horizontal measures. That's why people tend to drink less when they drink from a narrow glass, because they think they're drinking more."

Unlike other alcoholic drinks, wine is directly poured into a wide, long glass, which makes it difficult for people to keep a note of the intake. This often leads to over-consumption.

"If you want to pour and drink less wine, stick to the narrow wine glasses and only pour if your glass is on the table or counter and not in your hand - in either case you'll pour about 9-12 percent less," Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell, said in the statement.

Topics Size, Wine, Drinking, Behaviour, Cornell University