Surprise! PMS linked to shopping

Not like we don't already know that a little retail therapy is, well, therapeutic when Aunt Flo comes to town, for any still in doubt a new study out by a British professor suggests that there is, in fact, a correlation between menstrual cycles and that urgent need to spend money at Banana Republic.

According to the study, which surveyed 443 women aged 18 to 50, in the 10 days before their periods begin, respondents were more likely to go on a spending spree than at any other time.

Psychologists believe shopping could be a way for premenstrual women to deal with the negative emotions created by their hormonal changes.

"Spending was less controlled, more impulsive and more excessive ..." Professor Karen Pine told the BBC News."The spending behavior tends to be a reaction to intense emotions. They are feeling stressed or depressed and are more likely to go shopping to cheer themselves up and using it to regulate their emotions."

Not surprisingly, most of the purchases made by the women around their cycles were for adornment, including jewelery, make-up and high heels (i.e., items that make you feel pretty but don't have to be bought in a specific "size", as bloating can make you go up a full clothing size).

Just something to keep in mind the next you have that hankering for a pint of Ben and Jerry's ... and 28 pairs of shoes from DSW. [BBC]