Another related study asked subjects to estimate the cost of a family gathering. The subjects were given the same shopping list and found that those who planned to pay by credit card had a budget of $175, while those who planned to pay with cash had a budget of only $145. This shows once again that we are all a lot more generous when paying with a credit card. Very interesting! In fact, when we purchase the items we like, the subsequent payment action often makes people feel pain, offsets the joy of shopping, and even makes people reject their original purchase intention. In credit card consumption, the actual cash payment is far after the items are put into the pocket, thus weakening or even numbing the pain of reduced money. Therefore, the more direct the method of paying money, the greater the pain of paying the bill. As the least direct payment method, credit cards can even create a psychological feeling of "just a signature game", which of course can easily lead to over-consumption. This is why many merchants hope that customers can buy membership cards, because in this way, the first time you pay for something will only hurt your heart. After that, it will just be a game of adding and subtracting numbers, and of course you will spend a lot of money.