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Emotions test reveals: The online purchases making us 67% happier!
- On average, online purchases are found to raise our positive feelings by 56%
- Participants reported the biggest increase in happiness when purchasing houseplants – positive emotions soared by 67%
- Gaming console purchases saw the second highest increase in positive feelings (+66%)
- Trainers and fiction books are also among the purchases raising positive emotions most
- Holidays abroad came in last; participants noted high levels of excitement but also reported an increase in concern due to its uncertainty
Thanks to ‘doom shopping’, it was revealed that the UK spends three times more when online shopping compared to the global average, costing the average person a whooping £1,382 per year! Clearly these purchases keep us coming back for more, but how do we enjoy splashing our cash the most?
Interested in online shopping, money.co.uk conducted an emotions test among 2,560 participants to discover which online purchases bring us the most joy!
Participants were asked to complete a variation* of the BMIS test (Brief Mood Intensity Scale) and record the intensity of 10 different emotions after making an online purchase. The intensity of each emotion was allocated a score based on its positivity, with a maximum score of 500 points per item – the higher the score, the better. Participants were also asked to complete the same test before making any purchases to uncover the percentage increase in positive emotions when shopping.
Which online purchases make us happiest?
Money.co.uk can reveal that a houseplant purchase increases our intensity of positive emotions more than any other transaction!
Collecting 478 points out of a potential 500, moods improved by 67% after making a plant purchase. Plants are proven to invoke feelings of vitality by improving the state of mind and lifting spirits – no wonder it scores highly!
With the PS5 still proving hard to get, purchasing a gaming console is the second online transaction that makes us happiest.
As many gamers are left on the edge of their seats waiting to snatch the latest console, it accumulated 475 points out of 500, and purchasing a console was found to raise positive feelings by 66% on average.
In third position are trainer purchases. With the demand for sneakers like Jordan 1s only increasing, those who purchased new trainers reported a 64% increase in happiness, and purchases racked up 472 points.
With bookworms reported to be happier than those who don’t read, the transaction that makes us fourth happiest is a fiction book, improving positive emotions by 64% and collecting 470 points.
Due to the huge surge in personal fitness and wellbeing during lockdown, home gym equipment purchases are found to make us fifth happiest! This transaction led to a 63% increase in positive emotions and scored a healthy 468 points.
To complete the top 10 purchases that increase our intensity of positive emotions:
6. Video game: 466 points, +62%
7. Eyeshadow palette: 465 points, +62%
8. Scented candle: 463 points, +61%
9. Exercise clothing: 461 points, +61%
10. Fashion jewellery: 459, +60%
Coming in last is a holiday abroad with 393 points out of 500 (+37%). Those who plan on jet-setting this year reported high levels of excitement and happiness but were pushed down the table as feelings of worry and nerves due to its current uncertainty.
Interested in the reasons behind our vast improvement in positive feelings, money.co.uk spoke exclusively to Lee Chambers, psychologist and wellbeing consultant, to uncover why shopping makes us happy.
“Online shopping has the ability to make us happy through several different mechanisms. Firstly, even in a world of plenty, we are still evolutionarily designed to consider scarcity. Because of this, acquiring new items, especially when discounted or limited, tends to make us happy, the feeling we have satisfied a need and potentially averted a future threat.
Shopping is also an exercise in control. We select from millions of items precisely what we want, and especially in the uncertain times we live in, we know we will get exactly what we have purchased, and it will be delivered straight to us. This control of selection and guarantee of receipt is powerful, as it becomes a defined event. We also build a level of expectation and anticipation from the moment we press the purchase button, as we believe we now have ownership over the item but have a delay until it is with us physically.
From a cultural perspective, we have been conditioned to see shopping as a reward, either an investment in ourselves or for the satisfaction of others. Shopping is likely to activate the nucleus accumbens in our brain, releasing dopamine and motivating us to repeat the behaviour. Buying printed media taps into our desire to better ourselves, gain knowledge, understand the world around us and provide stories and entertainment that can take us on a journey. And let’s not forget how lovely they look on your bookshelf on a video call, as books have become a decorative symbol over the past year.
And why do we keep buying? Our brain is adaptive, and shopping can relieve stress, provide entertainment when bored and give us a hit of dopamine. The rewarding feeling will keep us finding new things to purchase, especially since our excitement and anticipation fade once we’ve received the item.”
Catherine Hilley, mobiles expert at money.co.uk, said: “Our research reveals how small purchases can increase customers’ emotions in a positive way, something we all need after the past 12 months. With an average 63% increase in positive emotions noted across all top 10 purchases, it seems that shopping online for items such as houseplants, trainers and candles are sparking a lot more joy at the moment, than booking a holiday, which comes with a lot of added uncertainty.”
For more information, please see the blog post for the full rankings and a breakdown by sex, and age: https://www.money.co.uk/mobiles/online-shopping-joy
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eSports
Esports Charts and GG.BET have presented an interactive map with data on tournaments around the world
Esports Charts, an analytical service that analyzes esports viewership, has partnered up with betting brand GG.BET, to present Esports Map, an interactive map with data on the most popular esports tournaments in 110 different countries. Each tournament also comes with historical moments when favorites and outsiders unexpectedly switched places in the bracket.
The analytical service Esports Charts has added a new interactive tool to its website, the Esports Map. It features the most popular tournaments by country, as well as data on peak viewership, winners, and prize pools. It also contains information on the most popular games in each country. There are also separate analytics dedicated to the United States, with information available for each of the 50 states. Data has been collected for a period spanning from 2017 up to right now, and is continuously updated.
GG.BET, who partnered with the project, supplemented the tournament information with interesting facts about participating teams. The insights include historical breakthroughs by underdogs and unexpected losses by tournament favorites. The information is provided using past outright betting data.
Esports Map allows users to track the esports industry’s development in various parts of the world. For instance, although League of Legends remains the most popular game and the League of Legends World Championship has kept its spot as the top esports tournament for many years, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is visibly closing the gap between the two games. Worlds 2024 in London had 6,856,769 peak viewers, breaking the world record among all esports games since 2017. However, MPL Indonesia’s Season 15 of MLBB has kept its place in the top spot for 2025, with 4,132,224 peak viewers. Today, MLBB remains the only mobile game capable of attracting such a massive audience, and its fan base is growing, especially in Southeast Asia. Analysts are looking forward to Worlds 2025 in China, which will allow them to update the available data and compare how different games are developing.
“Esports Map is a new project from Esports Charts, which we’ve launched alongside GG.BET as our first partner. We aimed to create a tool that would be interesting and useful to both fans and industry professionals. At its core lies Esports Charts’ analytics, supplemented by betting insights from GG.BET—covering everything from peak viewership and prize pools to discipline trends and stories of unexpected victories.. When combined, this data turns into a live snapshot of esports that can be tracked by country and region,” said Esports Charts’ press office.
“GG.BET regularly supports projects that help people understand esports at a greater depth. Esports Map provides an easy-to-understand visual representation of the industry’s progress in individual countries around the world and displays the breakdown of games by region. It will be of interest to fans and will prove useful to professionals who are developing the industry,” added GG.BET’s press office.
Esports Charts and GG.BET have previously worked together on an analytical project dedicated to the BLAST Premier 2024 season. That project displayed data on views, unique statistics about both the game and bets placed, an analytical breakdown of the season, and exclusive infographics on teams and players.
The post Esports Charts and GG.BET have presented an interactive map with data on tournaments around the world appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
casinos online chile
Eventioz.cl Announces Launch of New Comprehensive Online Casino Resource in Chile
Eventioz.cl is thrilled to announce the launch of its new comprehensive online casino resource in Chile. With an experienced team dedicated to utilizing thorough, transparent analysis and reviews, Eventioz.cl’s goal is to provide useful resources for Chilean players, whether they are just starting out or already experienced in casinos online chile.
“We warmly welcome you to the site that brings together the most renowned and safe casino experts in Chile,” said a spokesperson for Eventioz.cl. “Every veteran of the booking world knows the wide variety of online casinos in Chile. In our opinion, an online casino must meet several key features so that we can consider it a great online casino in Chile: our goal is to help you find sites that have them.”
Online casinos in Chile are experiencing rapid growth in popularity, offering players a diverse range of games, enticing promotions, and secure payment options. With so many platforms available, players need clear and trustworthy information that explains which casinos are reliable, which games are worth trying, and how to play responsibly.
Eventioz.cl helps players to find the best online casinos in Chile by focusing on safe and reliable platforms that offer the most popular games, including roulette, slots, blackjack, poker, bingo, and live dealer experiences. The new resource also features platforms that enable players to deposit and withdraw safely using local and digital options, such as Cuenta RUT, Mach, WebPay, RedCompra, bancoestado, and cryptocurrency.
From highlighting how to confidently choose a safe and reliable online casino in Chile by encouraging players to search for key signs of trustworthiness, including licensing, payment security, and reputation, to the best bonuses and promotions for Chilean players, such as welcome offers, free spins, loyalty programs, and other special deals, Eventioz.cl aims to showcase the casinos with the top user-experience.
Along with reviews, best online casino lists, and helpful guides, Eventioz.cl offers easy navigation to community forums, shared player experiences, and practical tips for managing play and finding support if needed, all with mobile compatibility and Spanish-language support.
With more Chileans choosing online casinos over land-based ones due to convenience, accessibility, and the gamification of online casinos with more achievements, tournaments, and interactive features that feel like video games, Eventioz.cl takes into account diverse player preferences, cultural habits, and new trends shaping the online gambling scene to offer an all-inclusive location to online casinos in Chile.
Eventioz.cl invites players seeking the best casino online chile to browse its new resource today to find the ideal platform to suit their unique needs, preferences and budget.
The post Eventioz.cl Announces Launch of New Comprehensive Online Casino Resource in Chile appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Kraken’s Catch combines suspense, spectacle, and seafaring riches in one stormy release
Stakelogic is setting sail into uncharted waters with its latest slot release, Kraken’s Catch, a feature-packed, high-volatility slot where monstrous multipliers and a mysterious sea creature lie beneath the surface.
This 5×3 slot with 15 win lines invites players on a nautical adventure where every spin can uncover treasures from the deep. Central to the chaos are the Fish symbols, which can land with multiplier values that are ripe for collection, but only if the right characters appear.
The eager Fisherman symbol hooks all visible Fish symbol values and applies a personal multiplier of up to 5x, while the mysterious Eye of the Kraken symbol, appearing exclusively on reel 5, triggers the Call of the Kraken feature, summoning the beast to scoop up all Fish and Fisherman values in a dramatic underwater sweep.
The excitement escalates in the Free Spins Bonus, where players collect Fishermen to climb the Progress Bar and trigger more spins and stronger global multipliers, up to a massive x5. If that wasn’t enough, the slot’s standout moment comes via the Eye of the Deep Bonus, an all-or-nothing spin filled exclusively with Fish, Fishermen, and the Kraken’s eye. Here, winnings are tallied through a three-stage collection mechanic that can result in monumental payouts.
Players can also activate Super Stake™, increasing their bet by 50% for double the chance to trigger Free Spins. For those eager to dive straight into the action, the Buy Bonus feature offers instant access to the Hold ‘N’ Win-style mechanic for 100x the bet.
With a max win of 5,000x, multiple RTP variants (up to 95.97%), and thrilling collection mechanics, Kraken’s Catch combines high seas drama with high-stakes gameplay in true Stakelogic style.
James Jelliffe, Head of Slots at Stakelogic, said: “Kraken’s Catch brings together everything players love about a great slot including exciting features, fast-paced progression, and thrilling collection mechanics, all wrapped in an atmospheric underwater theme. The Eye of the Deep bonus is a real highlight, delivering tension and excitement in a single spin. We’re confident this game will make waves across the industry.”
The post The Kraken awakens in Stakelogic’s latest slot adventure appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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