Why splurge on luxury items: Blame it on hormones

Men have long complained about their spouses splashing out on luxury items. Now, a new study has revealed why females over indulge in shopping at certain times of the month — it's due to hormonal changes.

Psychologists from University of Hertfordshire have found that women's spending patterns depended to a significant extent on the stage they had reached in their menstrual cycle. In fact, the study has found a clear link between shopping and female hormonal changes, Daily Mail reported.

Lead author Karen Pine was quoted as saying, "It is empowering for women to be aware of the factors that can affect their behaviour. In this way they can be more in control of their spending. Women may now decide they won't go out clothes shopping when feeling pre-menstrual because it's a time when they are more likely to overspend or buy on impulse."

The researchers have based their findings on a survey of 450 women, aged between 18 and 50 years. They asked the participants about their spending habits in the previous week and at the end of the survey asked for the date of their last menstrual period.

Purchasing habits among those who took part in the poll fluctuated throughout the month, with unplanned buying of luxury items peaking when the women were most likely to be suffering from pre-menstrual tension.

Spending dropped when they were at their most fertile.The trend among women at a later stage in their biological cycle, was to buy considerably more than intended.