Brian Wansink

Brian Wansink (Ph.D.) is the John S. Dyson Professor of Applied Economics at Cornell University and the author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. More

Brian Wansink is the John S. Dyson Professor of Consumer Behavior at Cornell University, where he directs the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. He is author of over 100 academic articles and books, including the best-selling Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (2006), along with Marketing Nutrition (2005), Asking Questions (2004), and Consumer Panels (2002). From 2007 to 2009 Wansink was granted a leave of absence from Cornell to accept a presidential appointment as Executive Director of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, the federal agency in charge of developing 2010 dietary guidelines and promoting the Food Guide Pyramid. Wansink’s award-winning academic research on food psychology and behavior change has been published in the world’s top marketing, medical, and nutrition journals. It contributed to the introduction of smaller “100 calorie” packages (to prevent overeating), the use of taller glasses in some bars (to prevent the overpouring of alcohol), and the use of elaborate names and mouth-watering descriptions on some chain restaurant menus (to improve enjoyment of the food). It has been presented, translated, reported, and featured in television documentaries on every continent but Antarctica.