Shopping at a Luxury Store Can Turn You into a Snobby Jerk Towards Others

According to the experiments published in the journal Social Influence, people who shop at — or even stand near — luxury stores are significantly less likely than others to help those in need. Catey Hill writes on MarketWatch: “The researchers concluded that shopping in or being near a luxury store likely primed people with ‘environmental cues of materialism,’ which then ‘increased self-enhancement and competitive values’ which, in turn, decreased ‘trusting and benevolent behavior and a sense of being concerned about and connected to other people,’ the authors write. In other words, the luxury stores made people feel more materialistic and self-centered, which meant they were less likely to help other people.” (marketwatch.com)