The Surprising Health Benefit Of Paying With Cash

Leave the credit card at home if you want a nutritious diet, say researchers in a recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Based on actual purchases from 1,000 households over a six-month period, shoppers who paid for their groceries with a credit or debit card were more likely to buy unhealthful impulse foods, according to the study. Paying with cash, however, resulted in fewer unhealthful purchases.

Why the disparity? It’s more psychologically painful to use cash, so shoppers try to reduce that pain by being more judicious in their food choices, according to the research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.