I hate shopping. I hate being in thrift stores. I can’t deal with coupons, limited offers, or the hell of special sale events where people queue up and knock the doors down at dawn.
But according to a University of Westminster study, I must be doing it wrong.
A recent study at the University of Westminster found that special offers ignite the same level of emotional excitement that one experiences from sexual arousal. Bargains make people deliciously happy, firing up the brain in much the same way as watching an erotic film.
Researchers measured brain activity in the emotional parts of the minds of 50 volunteers, as well as their eye movements and emotional responses in the body, in determining which of several activities evoked the most excitement. They found that giving participants a coupon or free gift with a loaf of bread or a jar of the savory British spread Marmite induced the same level of excitement as being exposed to porn.
On the other hand, I buy things online all the time. (Own AMZN stock? You’re welcome.) I don’t have any problem finding or using promotional codes for sale prices, free shipping, reward points, and all that when it’s for Web-based shopping.
I guess in that sense shopping is like porn. The Web makes it accessible, convenient, and personal.
But arousing? That depends on exactly what kind of British spread is involved.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Elvira // Sep 29, 2010 at 2:17 pm
I feel so satisfied when I go shopping… Oh shopping, how you tease me! I’m with you Regina, it’s way more fun to shop online (especially if it’s for a lovely toy that vibrates). If men knew how much shopping turned us on they’d tag along more often
2 regina lynn // Sep 30, 2010 at 11:51 am
I think clothing stores need to create seating areas with power outlets for electronics, like airports do, so that husbands and boyfriends and people like me have something to do while women try clothes on, if we have been dragged out shopping with someone. I’ve seen a few stores with televisions playing ESPN or Speed channel, but now that everyone has some kind of gadget, a charging station makes more sense.