Lead author Brian Wansink, of Cornell University and author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," said that study participants ate almost half as many mini-size Halloween candies when they kept the wrappers in sight.

"Having a visual reminder of how much they ate, keeps you honest and eating less," Wansink said in a statement. "Your stomach can’t count but your eyes can when they seen the empty wrappers."

Wansink advised that instead of putting out a potpourri of Halloween candy on an office desk at work or at home next to the easy chair place it across the room because people will eat less if they have to get up and walk.

Wansink is to present his findings Saturday at an American Heart Association conference in Orlando, Fla.