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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Blues-Light Special"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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MARKED DOWN... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. MAYBE MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS. BUT, IS IT TRUE THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SPEND MORE DURING TIMES OF SADNESS? RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT CARNEGIE MELLON AND HARVARD INDICATES THAT, WHEN THE GOING GETS SAD, THE SAD GO SHOPPING--AND COULD BE PAYING MORE. THE STUDY BROKE PARTICIPANTS INTO TWO GROUPS: GROUP ONE WAS SHOWN A NUMBER OF SAD-MOVIE CLIPS; THE OTHER GROUP WAS TREATED TO A RATHER-UNEMOTIONAL CORAL-REEF DOCUMENTARY. AFTERWARD, THEIR BUYING HABITS WERE PUT TO THE TEST, AS THEY WERE OFFERED SMALL ITEMS FOR SALE. THE GROUP WHO VIEWED THE TEAR-JERKER CLIPS OFFERED NEARLY 300-PERCENT MORE FOR THE SAME ITEMS THAN THE CORAL-REEF PEOPLE. HERE'S THE KICKER: WHEN ASKED PREVIOUSLY WHETHER FEELINGS OF SADNESS AFFECTED THEIR BUYING, MOST INSISTED THAT THEY HAD NOT--AN IMPORTANT KEY, ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCHERS, BECAUSE AS CONSUMERS, WE MAY BE VULNERABLE AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT. THE RESEARCH TEAM SPECULATES THAT SADNESS, COUPLED WITH SELF-FOCUS, EQUALS LOWER SELF-ESTEEM--AND A TENDENCY TO DEVALUATE ONE'S POSSESSIONS; NEW STUFF MEANS HIGHER SELF-WORTH TO THESE PEOPLE--SO THEY'RE WILLING TO PAY MORE. THE TEAM BELIEVES THAT THE REAL-WORLD EFFECT OF THIS "MISERY IS NOT MISERLY" PHENOMENON IS HUGE. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
