Using a credit card induces the same chemical reaction in the brain, when a person uses cocaine, a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found.
The study analysed the neuroscience behind buying things, and noted that shopping with a credit card leads to more purchase cravings in people. For the experiment, MRI machines were used to see what happens in the brain when people wish to buy an item with credit card versus cash.
Researchers concluded that when purchases were made with a card, the striatum in the brain, which is region that assesses the reward system, gets activated. It in turn produces dopamine, which leads people to crave shopping.