If you step into a well-heated store this holiday season, it’s probably not because the thermostat is faulty. Israeli researchers have demonstrated that people are willing to pay more for products when they feel comfortably warm—what they call the “temperature-premium effect,” reports Pacific Standard. Researchers confirmed the phenomenon in several studies, including one that primed 46 college students by having them hold a warm or cool therapeutic pad for 10 seconds; they then were asked to name the maximum price they would pay for a slice of chocolate cake and a six pack of batteries. Participants who’d held the warm pad were willing to pay significantly more for both. In another study, 109 students were put into rooms at temperatures either four degrees higher or lower than 72 Fahrenheit and asked how much they would pay for 11 different products typically purchased by college students. The warm-roomers were willing to pay more for nine of the 11 products. “Physical warmth induces emotional warmth, which generates greater positive reactions,” says study author Yonat Zwebner of Hebrew University.
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