Shopping while you are sad can leave you broke

Washington, Feb 9 : Sad people tend to spend more while purchasing a commodity than people with a neutral state, says a new study.

A new research has found that people feeling sad and self-focused spend more money to acquire the same commodities than those in a neutral emotional state.

Previous studies have also shown a direct link between sadness and the purchasing power.

During the study, the subjects were shown either a sad video clip or one devoid of human emotion and later were asked to purchase an ordinary commodity, such as a water bottle, at various prices.

The findings revealed that the participants assigned to the sad condition offered almost 300 per cent more money to buy the product than "neutral" participants.

The researchers discovered that increased self-focus drives the connection, a finding that expands understanding the impact of emotions on decision-making.

This was due to the fact that sadness and self-focus cause one to devalue both one's sense of self and one's current possessions.

Moreover it increases a person's willingness to pay more for new material goods, presumably to enhance sense of self.

The team's paper, "Misery is not Miserly: Sad and Self-Focused Individuals Spend More," will be presented at the Society for Social and Personality Psychology's Annual Meeting on Feb. 9.

ANI