Carry It Around Before You Buy It

The next time you are thinking about an impulse purchase, do this: Instead of walking around asking yourself if you should buy it, grab it up immediately. If you can carry it in your hands instead of putting it in your basket, even better.

You're going to find that your desire for it declines.

Dopamine promises us that the thing we want but do not yet have will make us happy--but it's typically overstating how happy.

Having it in your cart is not the same as having bought it, but this act still diminishes the dopamine action. The result is a more realistic preview of how it will feel when you really do possess it.

If that feeling is good enough, go ahead and buy it. If it's more of a letdown, put it back and remember the lesson. You'll gain a better ability to recognize the difference between dopamine's promises and reality.