When consumers don’t want to talk about what they bought

One of the joys of shopping for many people is the opportunity to brag about their purchases to friends and others. But new research found one common situation in which people would rather not discuss what they just bought: when they’re feeling like money is a little tight. In a series of studies, researchers found that consumers who felt financially constrained didn’t want to talk about their purchases, large or small, with friends or strangers.