You're likely to have chastised your self for being impulsive, as many people have. Your reckless spending may not be as bad as you think. This is especially true if you are obsessed with celebrities. New research shows that impulse shopping might be more common among those who worship the wealthy and famous.
The study was published in Frontiers in Psychology. It found that borderline pathological celebrity worship could positively predict impulsive purchasing behavior. "Furthermore the predictive effect was modulated by empathy and moderated a gender.
In particular, higher levels borderline pathological celebrity worship were associated with greater empathy. This in turn led to increased impulsive buying intent. This effect is more evident in men than it is in women.
Celebrity worship is a strong attachment to a celebrity. It can be either pathological or not. Non-pathological celebrity worshippers are more likely to be compulsive about their celebrity idols, while pathological celebrity worshippers may have a healthy obsession with their star.
The researchers asked the 1,319 participants to complete the Celebrity Attitude Score questionnaire in order to determine their level of celebrity worship. Participants were between 16- and 30 years old. They were asked to respond to statements like "I would die to save the life my favorite celebrity"
Similar surveys were completed to determine their impulsive buying intentions and interpersonal reactivity. This was used to measure empathy.
The team hypothesized that celebrity worship borderline-pathological would predict impulsive buying behavior. The relationship was moderated by gender and mediated through empathy. People with greater celebrity obsession had higher levels empathy, and consequently higher impulsive buying intentions. This effect was stronger in males than it was in females.
This is consistent with research that has shown that people are more likely to make impulsive decisions if they have a good relationship with their family and friends.
"It is possible to infer that people make more emotional, rational, optimal, and planned decisions when emotions are involved." The authors speculate that empathy could be associated with greater impulsive buying intentions.
According to them, celebrity worship may have led to a greater ability to empathize. Some fans become so invested with their favorite celebrities' careers that it becomes a part of their lives. They feel happy when they succeed, and sad when they fail.
The study revealed that women were more likely to buy when they are exposed to less pathological celebrity worship. However, men were more likely to buy impulsively if they had higher levels of celebrity worship.
This study was limited due to the use of self-reporting questionnaires, and the lack of diversity among participants. The authors concluded that the newfound link between celebrity worshipping and impulse buying "could significantly affect daily consumer behaviour extensively", not just when it involves celebrity-endorsed merchandise.
If you are prone to idolizing your favorite celeb, be careful next time you go to the shops. And maybe try to resist the urge to have a cup of coffee just in case.
