How does your brain make you hunt for bargains?
Fistfights over a flat-screen TV, hours in a queue for cookware, arguments over air-fryers. Why is it that discounts and deals can turn a simple shopping trip into a rampage through a retail park? What is it that makes a bargain so irresistible?
The answer might be in our heads. An fMRI study, where brain activity is measured, has shown that when we think about money we might spend, brain areas sensitive to pain are activated. When we think about the thing that we want to buy, areas sensitive to pleasure are triggered. Our medial prefrontal cortex evaluates these responses and makes a decision. If it looks like a good deal, we're more likely to make the purchase and get a hit of dopamine.
Writer Mark Elwood, who has written a book all about bargains, tells us that we get even more dopamine from something that's unexpected, such as when something is surprisingly cheap. Our brains are keen to reward us for finding bargains and many shops are keen to take advantage of this.
Anchoring is a pricing strategy where we are shown an initial price, and then the real one. Popular items may be positioned next to something much more expensive, or we may see a very high previous price, next to the heavily reduced one currently available. The initial price, or anchor, conditions how we evaluate what something actually costs. Inflated anchor prices can make unreasonably high actual prices seem fair, and our brains are happy to reward us when we make the purchase.
Other strategies include time limits, threatening to deprive us of our dopamine hit if we're not quick enough, and charm pricing, where we're much less worried about paying £9.99 than £10.
If we know this about how our brains work and how retailers might act, what should we do? It can be useful to take time to consider what we're buying, hold on to something and walk around the shop before buying to give ourselves more time to evaluate a potential purchase. It can also be sensible to research prices before shopping, to get a better idea of what represents good value.
词汇表
hunt for bargains [ˈbɑːɡɪnz] 薅羊毛，寻找特价商品，淘便宜货
fistfight [ˈfɪstfaɪt] n. 互殴，打架，大打出手
flat-screen TV 平板电视
cookware [ˈkʊkweə(r)] n. 厨具，炊具，烹饪用具
air-fryer [ˈeə fraɪə(r)] n. 空气炸锅
discount [ˈdɪskaʊnt] n. 折扣，减价
deal [diːl] n. 优惠，特价
rampage [ˈræmpeɪdʒ] n. 横冲直撞，撒野，乱闹
retail park [ˈriːteɪl] 零售商业区，购物区（集中多家零售店的区域）
irresistible [ˌɪrɪˈzɪstəbl] adj. 难以抗拒的，无法抵挡的
fMRI 功能性磁共振成像（用于测量大脑活动）
be sensitive to [ˈsensətɪv] 对…敏感
activate [ˈæktɪveɪt] vt. 激活，使活跃
medial prefrontal cortex [ˈmiːdiəl ˌpriːfrʌntl ˈkɔːteks] 内侧前额叶皮层（大脑的决策相关区域）
be keen to [kiːn] 热衷于，渴望；能敏锐地
anchoring [ˈæŋkərɪŋ] n. 锚定效应（依赖初始信息做判断的认知偏差）
pricing strategy 定价策略
position [pəˈzɪʃn] vt. 放置，摆放
Inflated [ɪnˈfleɪtɪd] adj. （价格等）虚高的，过高的
deprive of [dɪˈpraɪv] 剥夺，使丧失
dopamine hit [ˈdəʊpəmiːn] 多巴胺刺激，多巴胺带来的快感
charm pricing 尾数定价（如9.99元而非10元的定价）
retailer [ˈriːteɪlə(r)] n. 零售商，零售商家
sensible [ˈsensəbl] adj. 明智的，合理的
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