Story at-a-glance Research shows eating slower increases meal length through more chews and bites, not by changing chewing tempo; this gives your brain more time to register fullness signals The study found following a slow rhythm of 40 beats per minute while eating significantly extended meal length by 47 seconds, adding 29 more chews and almost five more bites Taking smaller bites, using smaller utensils and choosing whole foods that require more chewing naturally extends your mealtime without requiring conscious effort Putting your fork down between bites creates natural pauses that allow fullness hormones to work properly, preventing overeating Women showed stronger responses to slow rhythmic eating cues than men, though the benefits of slower eating applied to both sexes