Tag Archives: spending habits

Train Your Brain to Spend Smarter: A Chat With BeyondThePurchase.org

A few months ago Linda Lombardi, a writer for the website Learnvest, asked us if she could conduct a Q & A to learn how our research helps people spend and save their money in ways that result in the most happiness. While … Continue reading

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People who manage their money are happier.

Recent research into the age-old question “Can Money Buy Happiness?” has resulted in some intriguing results. There is now empirical support linking several specific financial strategies to increased happiness and life satisfaction. These suggestions include delaying gratification, savoring positive purchase … Continue reading

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Many people do not have $1,000 saved for an emergency.

A few years ago I read a story in CNN Money (Most Americans can’t afford a $1,000 emergency expense) that reported over 60% of Americans did not have enough money in their savings or checking accounts to pay for a … Continue reading

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Can Money Buy Happiness? Yes (when spent correctly).

Every day more and more people are trying to understand the relationship between money and happiness. Although everyone desires to be happy, the pathways people choose are varied (and not always successful). People frequently believe that making more money will increase their happiness. … Continue reading

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Why Do Shopping Addicts Keep Spending Their Money?

Did you know that approximately 10 percent of adults in western countries are believed to have a compulsive spending disorder? Their spending habits lead them to lose control over their buying behavior, and this trend is on the rise. Interestingly, … Continue reading

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What drives us to get our bling on

According to the urban dictionary, the term bling came in to the modern vocabulary in the 1990s, possibly imported from Jamaica by American rappers, and meant to indicate either the imagined play of light bouncing off shiny jewelry, or the sound … Continue reading

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The self-enhancement bias: Or, how I ended up with the Slap Chop

Recently, a friend of mine was asked how tall he was. He quickly replied, Do you mean in person or online? He was joking of course, but the joke is funny because we all know that people tend to, well… … Continue reading

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And the poor get poorer: How our life histories shape our response to financial trouble

When “primed” (reminded, made to think about) with threats to their financial wellbeing, people who were poorer as children were more likely to respond by making more impulsive, riskier choices than usual, whereas people from more secure backgrounds did the opposite. Continue reading

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She’s not looking at you: What really inspires a woman to go shopping

Recently, I have discussed research demonstrating that when men engage in conspicuous consumption, such as buying an expensive sports car, they are often doing so in order to signal to potential mates that they are good mate bait. Not only … Continue reading

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On the Lego, err… IKEA Effect, or: Mom, Dad. Look What I did!

I don’t know about you, but as a kid I loved playing with Legos. I never distinguished myself as a budding architect, and in those days, the suite of Lego building solutions wasn’t nearly as extensive as it is today. … Continue reading

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