Self, Sex

Scoring A Great Shopping Deal Is As Good As Sex (Confirms Science)

Photo: WeHeartIt
Carrie Bradshaw

Who needs a man when you have shopping!?

There's not much that can beat the feeling of scoring a great deal. Maybe it's the thrill of the hunt for great products with even better prices.  

But get this: Science says bargain hunting gives off the same high as sex! (Yes, SEX!)

ABC's Nightline recently reported on a new study from the University of Michigan that monitored the brain of a 30-year-old test subject while she shopped. Researchers found that her brain's pleasure centers (the same ones triggered during sex or while using drugs) were triggered every time she found a good deal. 

The test subject's frontal cortex lit up more when she really, really,really wanted a item. And when she saw a bargain price, her brain became even more excited. 

"There's this pain that's associated with the spending, and to the best that we can tell, there seems to be this trade-off. It's waning off of pleasure versus pain when we are making that shopping decision," explained Scott Rick, the University of Michigan Ross School of Business assistant marketing professor who led the team of researchers in this study.

So, yes, the term "shopaholic" actually has some merit, and yes, all your favorite stores, from H&M to Target to Forever 21, are totally taking advantage of these tendencies. 

"They're hitting something at your human behavior that makes you want to buy. There's the lights, the music. Sometimes they smell good, so it's really immersing yourself in the feel-good experience," market analyst Michelle Madhok explained to Nightline 

But just like a great deal can leave you euphoric, a bad deal does the opposite. Why? Because, just like a bad trip on drugs, when you feel ripped off, you come crashing down from your shopping "high." 

We don't think this new information will deter anyone from their shopping sprees, but it just may make you look at sales a little bit differently from now on.