Study reveals the effect of Black Friday deals on the brain

Affects the psychological and mood state due to the abundance of offers and discounts

Significant discounts and offers affect consumer behavior in different psychological ways, as major events and discounts such as "Black Friday", "Cyber ​​Monday", "Amazon Prime Day", and end-of-season sales stimulate a chemical response in the human brain, prompting people to make purchasing decisions differently during the deals than on normal days.

In this regard, Professor of Consumer Psychology, Catherine Janson Boyd, from Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom, published a report highlighting the effect of major discounts on the brain, according to the "Science Alert" website.

Effects on the brain

Boyd explained that this is partly due to a chemical response in the brain, prompting a person to buy a product or something they believe has achieved a good deal.

This feeling of motivation contributes to enhancing the desire to buy during the deals, as the decision becomes part of an enjoyable experience that stimulates the brain.

This means that people feel a high level of satisfaction when they find a good deal and buy it.

In this case, the nucleus accumbens, along with other reward-related brain regions, also plays a role in processing emotions, often in conjunction with the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the reward and pleasure centers of the brain, and is associated with feelings of happiness. When people see pictures of things they want to buy, the area of ​​the brain that contains dopamine receptors is activated.

Online shopping

Decrease timers on websites also amplify this feeling, making shoppers feel like they might miss out if they don’t act immediately.

Merchants take advantage of this with sales strategies that take advantage of these psychological triggers to boost consumer spending.

However, this passion for deals can lead to chaotic and even dangerous situations, as recently happened with the crowding and fights over the most popular products during the annual Black Friday shopping event in the United States, where a website was created to document injuries, and even deaths, that occurred during the event.

How to Resist Biological Temptation?

However, consumers can resist this biological temptation and restrain themselves from being lured by the lure of a deal, and it may require self-control, Boyd explained in her report.

She noted that impulsiveness can be reduced by pausing and thinking before making a decision.

When you see a discounted product in a store, “it’s best to take your time to think. And if you’re in a store, the idea of ​​walking around with the product a little bit can help calm the immediate urge.”

The same principle applies to online shopping: “Pause, step away from the screen, and do something else for a while to calm the urge to grab a deal.”

No matter what the item, and no matter how big the discount, the user may end up realizing that the item isn’t as important to themselves as their brain initially thought.

No matter what the item, and no matter how big the discount, you may end up realizing that it isn’t as important to their life as your brain initially thought.