U.S. Demographics
On Second Thought
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 06:12
Take a holiday. Buying material items invites social comparison and may thwart happiness.
We all know money can’t buy happiness, but perhaps if spent right, your hard-earned dollars may increase your joy, say researchers. Experiential purchases, meaning money spent on experiences like vacations and massages, for example, offer longer lasting and even increasingly stronger feelings of happiness than do material purchases. The reason for the differences in happiness is the tendency to engage in social comparison, say Thomas Gilovich, PhD, of Cornell University and Travis J. Carter, Ph.D.
Take a Smart Pill
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 06:12
Expert discusses the research finding linking I.Q. and cardiovascular health.
Last month demo dirt featured a story on health and I.Q., examining the possible link between lower I.Q. and compromised cardiovascular health.
Sami A. Bég, MD MPA MPH, associate medical director of U.S. Preventive Medicine offers his comments on the issue in this exclusive Q&A.The Cheap Shall Inherit the Earth
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 06:12
Could cutting back on the little things to save cash, also save the environment and our health?
About half of Americans are brown bagging their lunches and one in five is foregoing daily coffee runs due to the poor economy, says an online Harris Interactive Poll that asked 2,576 adults about their spending habits. Furthermore, one-third of participants forego bottled water in favor of using refillable water bottles. Could challenging economical times help the earth? Also, could eating at home and brown bagging lunches perhaps help Americans gain better control over their health?
Watching Their Diet
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 06:12
Even as childhood obesity remains an epidemic, product placement in films may encourage kids to eat junk.
Soda and candy may play starring roles in the movies, at least in terms of the effectiveness of product placements, says research that examined the role of brand placements and childhood eating habits. In light of the rising childhood obesity rate in the US, how does product placement play a role in our children’s health?
Puff Games
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 06:12
Consumer researcher Alison Jing Xu on why we should read the orange juice carton twice.
Last month demo dirt covered the use of puffery in advertising; this month we secured a Q&A with one of the authors of the study that inspired that article, Alison Jing Xu, Ph.D candidate of Marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Along with fellow researcher Robert S. Wyer, Jr., Jing studied the effects of puffery and prior consumer product knowledge on decision-making. Here are Jing’s responses to a few questions from demo dirt.
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