Pleasure vs. pain in the merchandising of America

Do you purchase things based on how much pleasure they can bring you? I'll bet that most of the overeating in this country is due to that fact -- the chemicals and enhancements used in so much of ours foods provide a pleasurable feeling along with a type of "addiction" -- hence, we consume (or eat) more. Most of us, anyway.

But what about the financial aspects that stretch beyond the biological aspects? Your body has a struggle about the pleasure of buying something with an expectation (which is almost always good) versus the pain of spending money. Deep down, you know, most of us want to...err...save money. Maybe.

A new study challenges an economic theory that purchasing decisions are a trade-off between current pleasure (buying something now) and future pleasure (buying something else later). Which is it in your opinion?