Why sadness can blow your budget

[bijou]

...Study participants who watched a sadness-inducing video clip offered to pay nearly four times as much money to buy a water bottle than a group that watched an emotionally neutral clip.

The so-called "misery is not miserly" phenomenon is well-known to psychologists, advertisers and personal shoppers alike, and has been documented in a similar study in 2004.

The new study released Friday by researchers from four universities goes further, trying to answer whether temporary sadness alone can trigger spendthrift tendencies.

The study found a willingness to spend freely by sad people occurs mainly when their sadness triggers greater "self-focus." That response was measured by counting how frequently study participants used references to "I," "me," "my" and "myself" in writing an essay about how a sad situation such as the one portrayed in the video would affect them personally.

... Edward Charlesworth, a Houston-based clinical psychologist who was not involved in the study, suggested the misery-is-not-miserly phenomenon is rooted in a culture that encourages people to buy to feel better.

"Certainly, the advertising industry knows that," Charlesworth, citing as an example a 1970s McDonald's fast-food jingle, "You deserve a break today."

Charlesworth frequently sees clients in his clinical practice who overspend to deal with difficulties.

"It's not necessarily that you go to the mall and go on a shopping spree," said Charlesworth, author of a book on stress management. "It's often more subtle -- you spend a bit more on something than you normally would. But if you magnify that over the course of a year, or a lifetime, those little things add up."

Personal shoppers, who make a business of prowling the aisles for others, say they frequently see clients stray from their budgets when they're feeling blue.

"At that point, cost isn't usually a factor," said Kalyn Johnson, of New York City-based Style by Kalyn Johnson. "They say, 'If I can have these wonderful shoes, I'll look better, and feel better.'

"But on the back end, I've seen buyer's remorse. This kicks in after they realize that new pair of shoes, or iPod, or whatever, didn't make them feel better, and then there's that sense of, 'Oh my God, why did I spend money on this?"'

...

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/02/08/sad.shopping.ap/index.html

[Chris_]

This article depressed me so much I just bought a Porsche online.

[Lacarnut]

This article depressed me so much I just bought a Porsche online.

Just 1, not a his & hers

[bijou]

This article depressed me so much I just bought a Porsche online.

Just 1, not a his & hers

Buying the first one cheered him up enough to avoid getting the second. 

[Lacarnut]

This article depressed me so much I just bought a Porsche online.

Just 1, not a his & hers

An old couple that lived across the street from my ex gf bought so much stuff off the internet that the UPS & Fedex never passed their house without making a delivery. Both of them were very sick and could barely walk. I used to bring them food on the holidays because she could not cook. She was very depressed and I guess buying stuff made her feel a little better.     
Buying the first one cheered him up enough to avoid getting the second. 

[Chris_]

This article depressed me so much I just bought a Porsche online.

Just 1, not a his & hers

Buying the first one cheered him up enough to avoid getting the second.  :-)

Yeah, I feel pretty good now. :)

[Lacarnut]

I just bid on a stock pot from Ebay. Does that count!