A cup of coffee during shopping could make you splurge the cash!

New research has discovered a link with drinking a coffee before shopping and spending more than you intended in the shops. The study conducted by the University of South Florida saw researchers handing out espressos to customers at the entrance to a household goods store. The researchers also gave out decaf coffees to other customers before letting both groups into the shop to make their purchases.

The group who had the full espresso caffeine laden coffees picked up an average of 2.2 items compared with 1.45 items for the decaf customers. When the experiment was repeated in a similar shopping environment those who had drunk the espressos again bought more ‘indulgent’ items such as scented candles and fragrances. The researchers have concluded that caffeine is a powerful stimulant which ‘enhances impulsivity’.