Fistfights over a flat-screen TV, hours in a queue for cookware, arguments over air-fryers. Why is it that discounts and deals can turn a simple shopping trip into a rampage through a retail park? What is it that makes a bargain so irresistible? 

为了平板电视而打架，为了购买炊具排几个小时的队，为了空气炸锅而争吵。为什么折扣和优惠可以将一次简单的购物之旅变成一场零售公园的横冲直撞？是什么让讨价还价如此难以抗拒？ 

The answer might be in our heads. An fMRI study, where brain activity is measured, has shown that when we think about money we might spend, brain areas sensitive to pain are activated. When we think about the thing that we want to buy, areas sensitive to pleasure are triggered. Our medial prefrontal cortex evaluates these responses and makes a decision. If it looks like a good deal, we're more likely to make the purchase and get a hit of dopamine. Writer Mark Elwood, who has written a book all about bargains, tells us that we get even more dopamine from something that's unexpected, such as when something is surprisingly cheap. Our brains are keen to reward us for finding bargains and many shops are keen to take advantage of this. 

答案可能就在我们的脑海里。一项测量大脑活动的功能磁共振成像研究表明，当我们想到可能花的钱时，对疼痛敏感的大脑区域就会被激活。当我们思考我们想买的东西时，对快乐敏感的区域就会被触发。我们的内侧前额叶皮层会评估这些反应并做出决定。如果看起来很划算，我们就更有可能购买并获得多巴胺的刺激。作家马克·埃尔伍德（Mark Elwood）写了一本关于讨价还价的书，他告诉我们，我们从意想不到的事情中获得更多的多巴胺，例如当某件事出奇便宜时。我们的大脑热衷于奖励我们找到便宜货，许多商店也热衷于利用这一点。 

Anchoring is a pricing strategy where we are shown an initial price, and then the real one. Popular items may be positioned next to something much more expensive, or we may see a very high previous price, next to the heavily reduced one currently available. The initial price, or anchor, conditions how we evaluate what something actually costs. Inflated anchor prices can make unreasonably high actual prices seem fair, and our brains are happy to reward us when we make the purchase. Other strategies include time limits, threatening to deprive us of our dopamine hit if we're not quick enough, and charm pricing, where we're much less worried about paying £9.99 than £10. 

锚定是一种定价策略，我们会看到初始价格，然后是真实价格。受欢迎的商品可能会被放置在更昂贵的商品旁边，或者我们可能会看到以前的价格非常高，而当前的商品大幅降价。初始价格或锚点决定了我们如何评估某物的实际成本。虚高的锚定价格会让不合理的高实际价格看起来很公平，当我们购买时，我们的大脑很乐意奖励我们。其他策略包括时间限制，如果我们速度不够快，就会威胁我们剥夺多巴胺的刺激，以及魅力定价，我们更不用担心支付 9.99 英镑，而是支付 10 英镑。 

If we know this about how our brains work and how retailers might act, what should we do? It can be useful to take time to consider what we're buying, hold on to something and walk around the shop before buying to give ourselves more time to evaluate a potential purchase. It can also be sensible to research prices before shopping, to get a better idea of what represents good value. 

如果我们了解我们的大脑如何工作以及零售商如何行动，我们应该做什么？在购买之前花点时间考虑一下我们要买的东西，抓住一些东西并在商店里走一圈，这样可以让自己有更多的时间来评估潜在的购买。在购物前研究价格也是明智之举，以便更好地了解什么东西代表物有所值。 

词汇表

cookware 炊具，厨房用具
discount 折扣，减价
deal 特惠
retail park 零售商业区，购物区
bargain 便宜货，低价好物
irresistible 不可抗拒的，难以抵挡的
medial prefrontal cortex （大脑）内侧前额叶皮层
purchase 购买
dopamine 多巴胺
cheap 便宜的，廉价的
anchoring （价格）锚定
pricing strategy 定价策略
price 价格
expensive 昂贵的
heavily reduced 大幅降价的
dopamine hit 多巴胺刺激
charm pricing 尾数定价（以零头尾数结尾）
retailer 零售商
evaluate 评估
value 价值