A Simple, Science-Backed Trick to Control Your Holiday Spending

Inc.:

The comedown after the holidays can be rough. Some suffer in the grim January weather, others are shocked by the number on the scale after all the festivities, but for many folks the worst part of the post-season crash is the credit card bills.

It’s easy to get caught up in all the gift giving and good cheer and let your budget go totally out of control. Then the new year rolls around and shock and regret set in. Is there any way to avoid this common cycle of overindulgence and repentance?

You might think that simple willpower is the answer. After all, we’re all grown-ups here and know that what we buy has to be paid for. But according to psychologists things aren’t that simple.

Writing in The New York Times Sunday Review recently, Northwestern University professor David DeSteno explains that “research has shown that willpower tends to be limited. Each successful exercise of it actually increases the likelihood of subsequent failure if temptations come in quick succession (as they do, for instance, in shopping malls).”

Read the whole story: Inc.