Getting Discounts Can Reduce Your Stress: Here’s Why
Life can be stress at times. There are multiple ways people blow off steam and some are more unconventional than others. Coupons and vouchers are small marketing tickets that could be redeemed by customers to avail discounts when they buy something in-store or online.
We all love discounts no matter whether we get them from social media or dedicated coupon sites like ClothingRIC. Receiving coupons when you make an online purchase not only saves your money but also spikes your oxytocin level, which makes you happier.
People who live on a tight budget experience a significant decrease in anxiety when they redeem a coupon to get a discount.
In this article, we will explore the connection between coupons and reduced stress.
Let’s dive in.
Increasing Levels of Stress and Financial Instability
Stress and anxiety are the physical responses of your body when you feel threatened or upset. They accompany many physiological and psychological changes to your body. Stress can induce positive changes to someone’s behavior and can act as a driving force for the completion of the said task. But for other people it could be harmful and if prolonged could have adverse effects on their wellbeing.
Financial instability is the major cause of stress in people. Not having enough money to meet your needs is likely to cause anxiety. When you have bills to pay and deadlines to meet you will constantly feel overworked and under stress.
More importantly, you feel guilty about spending every dollar which is only going to add to your worries. Using coupons and discount codes from websites like DealDrop.com can help you get rid of this guilt.
Relationship Between Discounts and Happiness Explained
A series of experiments were performed by the researchers of neuroeconomics at the Claremont graduate university, on the physiological and psychological effects of coupons on the body. The scientists claim that coupons and vouchers are a great means of creating happiness in their customers. During the experiments, some of the customers were given 10 dollars coupons on their online grocery shopping while some of them were not. The motive was to find the psychological effects (their response on getting the voucher or not) and the physiological effects (release of oxytocin and dopamine hormones, changes in blood pressure, and heartbeats.
Coupons Can Increase Oxytocin Level by 38%
For the researchers, the results of these experiments were quite convincing. It was deduced that the shoppers who were given the 10$ coupon before their purchase had substantially higher oxytocin levels. And they had a lower level of stress as compared to the other customers.
The calculated facts and figures are as follows:
- After using the coupons, the oxytocin levels of the customers were increased up to 38%. This is considerably more than the levels produced in the case of physical interactions like hugging, kissing, cuddling, and other sort of social interactions of intimacy that are well known to cause a rise in oxytocin levels.
- The breathing rate of customers who used the coupon dropped to 27%. It was a clear sign of reduction of stress levels in those people as stressed people have considerably higher breathing rates.
- The heartbeats of these people dropped from 73 beats per minute to 70 beats, a decrease of 5% that shows that their heart was in a calm state.
- The sweat and perspiration levels of these people were 20% lesser than the people who didn’t receive the coupons indicating lower levels of stress.
Coupons are More Cherishable Than Gifts
After calculating the results, a survey was done to check the psychological responses of these people. The survey showed that people were 11% happier than the people who did not receive those coupons. They were asked to rate how happy they were after receiving the discounts from those coupons.
The researchers concluded that not only do coupons bring joy and reduce stress from our lives, but they are also more cherishable than gifts! This might be true because when you receive a gift, it is the choice of the person who is giving you the gift. But when you receive a coupon, it is totally up to you how you use it or what you buy from it. That would undeniably bring more enthusiasm, excitement, and joy and not forgetting oxytocin to the person.
How Coupons can Help Financially Stressed People?
Although one coupon on one order might seem less in value like 5-10 dollars off on a 100 dollars purchase. According to reports it is estimated that an average person can save up to 2500 dollars per year by using only 30 dollars coupons each week. This is a great way to save money and reduce financial stress. However, the effect of coupons isn’t just on your financial standing.
Distraction from Problems:
In addition to saving money, coupons are a source of happiness. You’d be lying if you say you do not feel cheerful when you receive a coupon. Everyone loves when they get a chance to save money. It can act as a breath of fresh air for people that are desperately looking to catch a break. Instead of overthinking your problems, you can spend your time sifting through different vouchers or coupons. It’s a fun little practice that will take your mind off things and provide you an escape from the daily hassles of life.
Coupons can Give you a Triumphant Feeling:
Certain people that spend most of their time looking for coupons. And they bring down the cost of their orders considerably lower. Though this might not affect the seller’s profit, it certainly gives the shoppers a boost of adrenaline. By bringing the price down the shoppers get a victorious feeling. They feel triumphant and look for even more chances of getting vouchers and coupons. This little activity will not only keep the stressed people preoccupied, but it’ll also help them cut down the costs in their budgets.
Conclusion
Our happiness depends upon the little things happening around us. In these times of uncertainty and chaos, these small coupons can certainly give you little joyful moments. If you are stressed, don’t miss out on things that make you happy. And if you are in some sorts of financial crisis, keep looking out for coupons every time you make a purchase. Coupons will certainly help you in maintaining your budget and will continue to give you occasional bursts of adrenaline and oxytocin to keep your stress levels demoted.