A new study has found that wearing high heels can change the way you shop.
A Brigham Young University study finds that consumers experiencing a heightened sense of balance are more likely to weigh the options and go with a product that falls in the middle of the high-end, low-end scale.
"If you're someone who tends to overspend, or you're kind of an extreme person, then maybe you ought to consider shopping in high heels," study author Jeffrey Larson, a BYU marketing professor, said.
Larson and BYU coauthor Darron Billeter have discovered that most anything that forces your mind to focus on balance affects your shopping choices as well.
In the example of the TV, balancing consumers are more likely to go with the 42-inch TV for 450 dollars rather than the 300-dollar 32-inch set or the 50-inch screen for 650 dollars.
The study is part of an emerging area of research that examines the relationship between physical sensations and decision making. Previous studies have looked at the role of warmth, weight and hunger.
The study is published in the Journal of Marketing Research.
