People Are Less Willing to Spend Big Bills

Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.

Shoppers are less likely to spend money if they are carrying it in large denominations.

Researchers halved a group of American business-school students, giving one group a dollar and the other four quarters. They were then told they could keep the money or buy candy with it. Sixty-three percent of the students with the change opted for the sweets, while only 26 percent with the dollar bill indulged.

"People tend to overvalue bigger bills," explained Marketing Professor Joydeep Srivastava, who co-authored the study. "In the face of the temptation to spend, you'll be more reluctant to break that $100 bill so you'll end up saving it."

Of course, you already know this if you've ever been to a strip club and watched 100 $1 bills disappear in 10 minutes.

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