Do you have a tight budget before the shopping trip starts? Then researchers have good advice: Drop the coffee in advance! A new international study from the University of South Florida has found that caffeine affects what you buy and how much money you spend. – Caffeine releases dopamine in the brain, which in turn excites the body and mind. This leads to increased impulsivity and reduces self-control. This is what Professor Dipayan Biswas, who has led the research, says in a press release. Only one cup of caffeinated coffee led to people spending almost 50 percent more money. Water or espresso? The group of researchers performed various experiments at stores in different countries. In both Spain and France, more than 300 people were offered something to drink before entering a shopping center. About half received a cup of espresso, which contained 100 milligrams of caffeine. The other half were offered water or decaffeinated drinks. Then the customers shared their receipts with the researchers as they left the stores. The results showed that people who drank espresso bought more goods – 30 percent more. They also spent about 50 percent more money than those who stuck to water. The researchers also found that caffeine had a bearing on which products were purchased. Can an innocent cup of coffee really help to increase the desire to buy? Yes, say American researchers. Photo: Hanne Bernhardsen Nordvåg / news Got chopped more eagerly Coffee drinkers bought on average several articles without utility value. These could be items like scented candles and perfumes. But the researchers point out that this difference varied from store to store. In addition to the mentioned experiments, experiments were also performed in the laboratory. Here they focused on online shopping. Professor Dipayan Biswas is a researcher at the University of South Florida. Photo: University of South Florida They divided 200 students into two different groups. Half drank coffee with caffeine, the others without. Students were then asked to select items they would buy from a pre-selected list of 66 options. The caffeine drinkers picked out several things. And more useless things. They were also considered to be more impulsive in their decisions. Something about the mood? Marit Lynes is the general manager of Norsk Kaffeinformasjon. She is a little surprised by the results, and takes them with a pinch of salt. – You drink coffee because you then think you get a little sharper. While this study shows that one becomes impulsive. If that is really the case, then it would have been fun and interesting to carry out a similar study in Norway, she tells news. Lynes thinks maybe a coffee break also does something with the mood. – If you are shopping with friends, and for example have a glass of wine for lunch, then it is conceivable that you get a little more in fashion. Maybe it has something to do with the mood you get into? Caffeine affects the brain, so maybe you become more eager to buy as a consequence. She also believes that different coffee habits in different countries can play a role in such a result. You may want to think about whether Caffeine is perhaps the most popular stimulant among people in the world. It is consumed daily by very many. Both through soft drinks, tea and coffee. And it is becoming more and more common to see coffee shops near shops and malls. Professor Dipayan Biswas does not think caffeine in itself is something you should avoid, but it is also not something you should pull down if you already have a slim wallet. – While moderate amounts of caffeine can have positive health benefits, you may want to avoid large amounts in your body when shopping. The study is published in the Journal of Marketing.
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Avoid caffeine before you go shopping, researchers warn – could lead to more impulse trading – news Trøndelag
