首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professio
Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professio
admin
2012-05-28
73
问题
Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professionals expect that trend to continue. Consumers saved 6.4 percent of their after-tax income in June. Before the recession, the rate was 1 to 2 percent for many years. In June, consumer spending and personal incomes were essentially flat compared with May, suggesting that the American economy, as dependent as it is on shoppers opening their wallets and purses, isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon.
On the bright side, the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could make them happier. New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.
If consumers end up sticking with their newfound spending habits, some tactics (策略) that retailers and marketers began using during the recession could become lasting business strategies. Among those strategies are offering goods that makes being at home more entertaining and trying to make consumers feel special by giving them access to exclusive events and more personal customer service.
While the current round of stinginess may simply be a response to the economic downturn, some analysts say consumers may also be permanently adjusting their spending based on what they’ve discovered about what truly makes them happy or fulfilled.
"This actually is a topic that hasn’t been researched very much until recently," says Elizabeth W. Dunn, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of British Columbia, who is at the forefront of research on consumption and happiness. "There’s massive literature on income and happiness. It’s amazing how little there is on how to spend your money."
Studies over the last few decades have shown that money, up to a certain point, makes people happier because it lets them meet basic needs. The latest round of research is, for lack of a better term, all about emotional efficiency: how to reap the most happiness for your dollar.
So just where does happiness reside for consumers? Scholars and researchers haven’t determined whether Armani will put a bigger smile on your face than Dolce & Gabbana. But they have found that our types of purchases, their size and frequency, and even the timing of the spending all affect long-term happiness.
One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons,sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.
’"It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea," says Professor Dunn.
Thomas DeLeire, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin discovered that the only category to be positively related to happiness was leisure: vacations, entertainment, sports and equipment like golf clubs and fishing poles.
What surprises Elizabeth W. Dunn according to the passage?
选项
A、There is little about how to spend money to make people happy.
B、Consumers unconsciously adjust their spending habits to be happy.
C、People started researches on consumption-happiness relationship so early.
D、Happiness is proved to have nothing to do with consumption.
答案
A
解析
根据题干中的Elizabeth W. Dunn将本题出处定位到第五段最后两句。该段都在讲述Elizabeth W. Dunn的观点,最后两句提到,有大量研究收入和幸福的文献资料。而研究如何花钱的文献却非常之少,这的确令人称奇。由此可知,使Elizabeth W.Dunn感到吃惊的是人们对如何花钱使自己幸福进行的研究很少,故答案为[A]。[B]是针对第四段后半句设的干扰项。[C]是针对该段首句中引言部分设的干扰项。[D]与原文意思相反,故排除。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/vuE7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Inrecentyears,researcheshavesuggestedmorehealthvaluefromvitaminDthanhadoncebeenthought.VitaminDis【C1】___
Inrecentyears,researcheshavesuggestedmorehealthvaluefromvitaminDthanhadoncebeenthought.VitaminDis【C1】___
Inrecentyears,researcheshavesuggestedmorehealthvaluefromvitaminDthanhadoncebeenthought.VitaminDis【C1】___
Itmayseemanoddtimetoworryaboutsavings.ThisweektheNationalBureauofEconomicResearchdeclaredthattheworld’s,la
A、Educationindustry.B、Medicineindustry.C、ITindustry.D、Engineeringindustry.C对话中,女士询问男士想找什么样的工作时,男士说想在一家网站公司工作。故正确答案为C。
Itisonlyrightthatthestarsshouldbepaidinthisway.Don’tthetopmeninindustryearn【B1】______salariesfortheservic
A、Totellwhat"hightech"and"stateoftheart"are.B、Totellhow"hightech"and"stateoftheart"havedeveloped.C、Togiv
A、Aprofessionalwindowcleaner.B、Automotivesalesperson.C、Servicestationattendant.D、Grocerystoremanager.C
随机试题
Althoughthetechnology______intheUK,ithasbeendevelopedonlargescaleintheUS.
患者,男,24岁。自觉疲乏、无力2个月。现症见头晕耳鸣,腰膝酸软,皮肤紫斑,肌肤甲错,胁痛,出血不明显,舌紫暗,脉涩。体检:皮肤黏膜苍白,见瘀点、瘀斑,巩膜无黄染,浅表淋巴结、肝脾不大。实验室检查:WBC2.3×109/L,Hb67g/L,PLT2
患者,男,48岁。确诊慢性粒细胞白血病已2年半,服用马利兰治疗效果较好。近期出现乏力,低热,鼻衄。检查:脾大肋缘下6cm,血红蛋白70g/L,外周血原始粒细胞比例大于20%。应首先考虑的是
根据《证券发行上市保荐业务管理办法》,保荐机构及其保荐代表人履行保荐职责可对发行人行使以下哪些权利()。Ⅰ.对发行人的信息披露文件和提交证监会和证券交易所的其他文件进行事后审查Ⅱ.出席发行人的股东大会、董事会和监事会Ⅲ
由于通货紧缩,某公司不打算从外部融资,而主要靠调整股利分配政策,扩大留存收益来满足销售增长的资金需求。历史资料表明,该公司资产、负债与销售总额之间存在着稳定的百分比关系。现已知资产销售百分比为60%,负债销售百分比为15%,计划下年销售净利率5%,不进行股
已知三维向量空间的一组基为α1=(1,1,0),α2=(1,0,1),α3=(0,1,1),则向量β=(2,0,0)在此基底下的坐标是()。
作为是指行为人_________实施我国刑法所禁止_________行为。
在(16)设计阶段选择适当的解决方案,将系统分解为若干个子系统,建立整个系统的体系结构。
在窗体上画一个命令按钮和一个文本框,其名称分别为Command1和Text1,把文本框的Text属性设置为空白,然后编写如下事件过程:PrivateSubCommand1_Click() a=InputBox("Enteranintege
人的行为主要是学习的结果,而动物的行为主要取决于本能。
最新回复
(
0
)