Never Shop Hungry

Humans are more likely to make purchases when they're hungry, according to behavioral scientists reporting this week on five novel experiments in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers found that the hunger-spending phenomenon applies not only in logical cases like grocery shopping or ordering at a restaurant, but to any type of shopping

“There are many studies that show that whatever is on your mind at a given time can influence which opportunities for behavior you see, and what you’re likely to do and how you interpret things,” said Norbert Schwarz, study author and a provost professor at the University of Southern California. “In the case of hunger it’s pretty straightforward. If hunger means ‘I want to get food,’ then ‘getting stuff’ may be on your mind. When you then have the opportunity to ‘get stuff,’ you may take a few things that are available that have nothing to do with satisfying your hunger.”