Take cash with you next time you head to the supermarket -- paying in greenback may help you avoid impulse purchases (read: junk food).
Researchers at Cornell University analyzed register receipts from a random sample of 1,000 loyal shoppers in one-family households at a Northeastern supermarket chain during a six-month period, looking at what types of foods were purchased as well as the payment method.
The study found that payment method appeared to weaken impulse control: "Shoppers bought more food items considered impulsive and unhealthy when paying by plastic than when ponying up the dough," MSNBC reports, citing the study from Cornell University. "Researchers also noticed that consumers who shop on weekends were less likely to be impulsive and tended to stick to a list."
So paying in cash may offer advantages in self-control for supermarket shoppers.
Do you make more unhealthy impulse buys when grocery-shopping with a credit card?
