Does Sadness Bring Happiness or is that Inside Out?

Compulsive buying, like so many other self-defeating habits and addictions, is often an attempt to anesthetize negative feelings, diminish their intensity, or suppress them altogether. Pixar’s latest film, Inside Out, trumpets the value of feeling all of our feelings, whether they are Anger, Sadness, Joy, Fear, or Disgust, the five feelings personified as characters in… Continue reading Does Sadness Bring Happiness or is that Inside Out?

Is New Brain Research on Happiness Creating a Monster?

You know the feeling. That little rush when your eye drifts to the ads on the side of your favorite social media page. Those little blurbs speak to your love of leather handbags, gourmet burgers, or tech gadgets. They call for just a quick click, a minute browse… and your credit card. Those ads – and… Continue reading Is New Brain Research on Happiness Creating a Monster?

Survey says: High Percentage of Americans at Risk for Shopaholism

This month, CreditDonkey surveyed over 1,000 Americans about their shopping habits and payment preferences. The results suggest that a significant percentage of consumers display many of the shopaholism indicators. The biggest red flag is feeling a rush of excitement after making a purchase, which nearly half of all responders felt! Another is feeling guilt after… Continue reading Survey says: High Percentage of Americans at Risk for Shopaholism

Loneliness Making You Take Financial Risks?

Most people need some “me time” at least occasionally, but a new study shows that being alone prompts people to take bigger risks with their money. Published in the Journal of Consumer Research, the study put participants through situations in which they were made to feel a sense of exclusion. They were then asked to… Continue reading Loneliness Making You Take Financial Risks?

Money Buys Unhappiness

In a new study, published in the current issue of Psychological Science, Jordi Quoidbach and three colleagues demonstrate that money—even the thought of it—undermines life’s simple pleasures. Specifically, the authors found that wealthier people were less able than poorer ones to savor, to enhance and prolong positive emotional feelings such as joy, awe, excitement, contentment,… Continue reading Money Buys Unhappiness

Other Recent Research

Dr. Sunghwan Li, professor of marketing and consumer studies at the University of Guelph in Ontario, has been studying reactions, specifically guilt and shame, to impulsive purchases. In researching the effect of one recent impulsive purchase on 222 college students, Yi found that “people who feel guilty about it are likely to fare better than… Continue reading Other Recent Research

Emotions and Buying Behavior: Two Recent Studies

How do negative emotions affect our buying habits? A recent study looked into the effects of sadness on our willingness to spend. Participants, who had agreed to participate in the study for a ten dollar stipend, were divided into two groups. One viewed an emotionally neutral video about coral reef systems in Australia. The other… Continue reading Emotions and Buying Behavior: Two Recent Studies