Listening to Christmas music makes you spend more

‘I don’t want a looooot for Christmaaaas…’ Mariah Carey may sing it convincingly, but it’s utter nonsense. We actually want a lot for Christmas. We want gifts. We want new wardrobes. We want to eat out. We want drinks. We want to BUY. And the worst part? It’s all Mariah Carey’s fault.

Because according to research shopping people tend to linger longer in a store and also spend more when Christmas music is played in the shop. And this doesn’t even work only around Christmas, so don’t be surprised if your favorite store suddenly blasts a Christmas jingle through the speakers in the middle of summer.

Here’s the thing: Christmas music makes us think of – you guessed it – Christmas. And what do you do at Christmas? Exactly: buy gifts. And that association makes you burn a hole in your pocket when this music plays, whether it’s May or December.

And yes, it has also been proven that people who have a weakness for Christmas music are the worst big spenders. It makes sense: the more Christmas and everything around it excites you, the more positive associations you have, and the more you raid your bank account.

Mark my words: in the coming years, they will not only start early with putting Christmas decorations on the shelves, but Mariah Carey has been singing to us since the end of July. And we will feel that in our wallets…