TAMPA — Coffee and credit cards may be a financial planner’s worst nightmare, according to researchers from the University of South Florida. Scientists report shoppers who sip on a complimentary cup of coffee before shopping ended up spending 50 percent more money and buying 30 percent more items than their non-caffeinated counterparts.
“Caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and the body. This leads to a higher energetic state, which in turn enhances impulsivity and decreases self-control,” says lead study author Dipayan Biswas, the Frank Harvey Endowed Professor of Marketing at USF, in a university release. “As a result, caffeine intake leads to shopping impulsivity in terms of higher number of items purchased and greater spending.”
To reach these findings, researchers set up an espresso machine at the entrances of a retail chain and home goods store in France, as well as a department store in Spain.
www.studyfinds.org/caffeine-shopping-spending-money/