Surprising research: Watching sad movies wastes money

A study has found that watching sad movies can make you shed tears as well as spend money.

Chinese research has found that watching sad movies can increase your likelihood of making impulse purchases, while sadness triggers short-sighted behavior.

Psychologists at Chengdu University analyzed 170 men and women. Participants watched the movie “My Brothers And Sisters” or the documentary “March Of The Penguins”, which are known to be sad.

Those who watched the sad movie had a 50 percent increase in sadness, more than twice as much as those who watched the documentary. And sad viewers, especially women, were found to be more likely to favor impulsive choices.

“Sadness caused individuals to prefer shorter-term rewards, suggesting a more short-sighted pattern of behavior,” said the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

“When individuals experience sadness, their attention tends to focus on immediate concerns rather than thoughts about the future,” said study author Hao Zhang.