Skip to main content

Happy people are more successful shoppers, study says

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If your answer to feeling blue is to go shopping, you might have a problem — and not just of the hoarder variety. A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that it’s better to shop when you’re in a good mood because you make more consistent, wiser choices. So while retail therapy might be soothing, bummed-out trips to the mall also might explain all those strange outfits in your closet.

Study authors Paul Herr and Derick Davis of Virginia Tech, Christine Page of Skidmore College and Bruce Pfeiffer of the University of New Hampshire conducted the research to focus on one of the most basic interactions in decision making: how one’s mood affects the appearance and assessment of objects. For example, a puppy might be the most adorable thing on Earth when you’re happy, but when you’re annoyed you might see the little guy as nothing more than a yapping poop machine.

Recommended Videos

“There has been considerable debate about how affect (moods, emotions, feelings) influences the quality of people’s decisions,” they wrote in the paper. “We join this debate by looking at affect’s influence on a very basic element of decision-making: deciding if an object is liked or disliked.”

The study itself was pretty straightforward. The research showed test subjects pictures of positive things, like said puppy, or negative things, like diseased feet (yes, really), to manipulate the subjects’ moods one way or the other. After, the subjects were shown pictures of everyday objects and told to pick positive or negative adjectives from a list to describe those objects.

People in a positive mood were both faster at picking adjectives, whether they were positive or negative, and more consistent, meaning that when shown the same object they were less likely to change their previous positive or negative assessment of it. There wasn’t a metric for whether the answers were right or not, because none of them are clearly correct. Everyone perceives things differently, so while we might find a vacuum as a positive thing, someone else mind it abhorrent. Plus, it’s the same situation when you’re out shopping anyway.

What the study does show is that people who are in a good mood make more consistent decisions based on their own opinions. In terms of retail, this could be huge. Rather than having a store pumping house music with abrasive models for employees, a place that makes customers feel happy might end up with people making more purchases they actually want and fewer returns.

Derek Mead
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Tineco vacuum nearly $300 off for Prime Day — use this code for extra savings
The Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 cordless vacuum cleaner cleaning a spill.

In one of the most attractive vacuum deals that you can shop for Prime Day, Amazon has slashed the Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 to its lowest-ever price of $319 from its sticker price of $599. However, we've got a code for you to be able to get the cordless wet-dry vacuum cleaner with an extra 5% off — just enter TIN25PDPR during the checkout process so that you'll only have to pay $303, for total savings of $296. That's an excellent offer that you wouldn't want to miss, and you better hurry if you want to take advantage of it as it may not remain available until the end of the shopping holiday.

$303 at Amazon

Read more
Tineco’s docking vacuum has a special Prime Day price, but you can get it cheaper
A Tineco Pure One next to its charging base.

Vacuums feel like they're getting more and more expensive, and not just robot vacuum and mop combos, but ordinary hand vacs. You can go to Walmart and see bagged, corded vacuums that cost hundreds of dollars. It doesn't have to be that way. Tineco's Pure One vacuum brings power and convenience for the same price that other vacuums have, but with new features instead of going backwards into the world of cords and bags. Usually $459, it is down to $319 for Prime Day (that's a savings of $140 already) and we're happy to report you can get an extra 5% off with the code TIN25PDPR on Amazon. Tap the button below to see the vacuum yourself and snag this great deal, or keep reading for what makes this vacuum truly unique.

BUY NOW

Read more
This AI mower finally got a discount — grab it before it’s gone
m800 doing work on the lawn

If you’ve been holding off on getting a robot mower because you can’t stand the idea of burying boundary wires or babysitting your lawn from a clunky app, Prime Day is delivering for you once again. The Yardcare M800 Plus is one of the most intelligent, user-friendly smart mowers you can buy and now it's on sale. Pick-up the M800 Plus for $719.99, a savings of $180 (regular price $899.99).

A smarter way to mow

Read more