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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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ACR POKER’S BLAZING HIGH FIVE TOURNAMENT SERIES RETURNS WITH $4 MILLION GUARANTEED THIS APRIL
New ‘Highest Five’ nosebleed events with buy-ins ranging from $5,200 to $25,500 mark the biggest stakes ever seen on ACR Poker
ACR Poker’s most lit week is back with the return of The High Five Tournament Series from April 19th to 23rd, bringing $4 Million GTD across 50 events. Each day brings a full slate of action, with 10 smoking tourneys firing daily including five high-stakes events featuring buy-ins of $44 and over and five low-stakes events with buy-ins of $33 and under.
And this year, the stakes are even higher with the new ‘Highest Five’ tourneys added on top. For the first time, ACR Poker is rolling out elite nosebleed tourneys designed for the game’s boldest players. Two nosebleed events will take place each day of the High Five Tournament Series with buy-ins from $5,200 to $25,500, marking the biggest stakes ever seen on ACR.
The High Five Tournament Series Main Event will take place on Monday, April 20th, featuring a $420 buy-in and a $200,000 GTD prize pool. The schedule also includes a special rebuy and add-on day on Monday, April 20th and a PLO day on Wednesday, April 22nd.
And the action doesn’t stop there. Players can blaze up the standings in the High Five Leaderboard Competition, where more than $25,000 in prizes are up for grabs, including $2,650 Venom seats, tourney tickets and The Golden Bong trophies. Simply by playing in High Five events, players will earn points towards either the High Leaderboard (buy-ins of $44 and over) or the Low Leaderboard (buy-ins of $33 or under).
The stakes are high and so are the names stepping in. ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker is locked in to play every Highest Five event, and so is CEO Phil Nagy. “The High Five Tournament Series has a fun vibe to it and I’m excited to be jumping into the new Highest Five tourneys,” said ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker. “But what’s great about this series is that players of all bankrolls can get in on the action from small-stakes grinders to high-rollers. We’ll see you at the tables.”
For more information, visit ACRPoker.eu.
The post ACR POKER’S BLAZING HIGH FIVE TOURNAMENT SERIES RETURNS WITH $4 MILLION GUARANTEED THIS APRIL appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
ACR Poker
ACR Poker brings back High Five Series with $4m guaranteed in April Subheadline
ACR Poker will run The High Five Tournament Series from April 19 to 23, 2026, with $4 million guaranteed across 50 tournaments, according to the operator.
The schedule lists 10 events per day, split between five higher buy-in tournaments ($44 and over) and five lower buy-in tournaments ($33 and under).
The operator is also adding new ‘Highest Five’ events—two per day—positioned as “nosebleed” tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $5,200 to $25,500. ACR Poker said these are the biggest stakes it has offered on the platform.
The series Main Event runs Monday, April 20, with a $420 buy-in and a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool. ACR Poker also flagged a rebuy and add-on day on April 20 and a dedicated PLO day on Wednesday, April 22.
A leaderboard promotion will award more than $25,000 in prizes, including $2,650 Venom seats, tournament tickets and “The Golden Bong” trophies. Points accrue via High Five events and are split into a High Leaderboard ($44 and over) and Low Leaderboard ($33 or under).
ACR Poker said ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker and CEO Phil Nagy plan to play every Highest Five event. “The High Five Tournament Series has a fun vibe to it and I’m excited to be jumping into the new Highest Five tourneys,” said ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker. “But what’s great about this series is that players of all bankrolls can get in on the action from small-stakes grinders to high-rollers. We’ll see you at the tables.”
The post ACR Poker brings back High Five Series with $4m guaranteed in April Subheadline appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Casino Content
Creedroomz launches Road to El Dorado live casino game show
Creedroomz has launched Road to El Dorado, a new live casino game show it calls its largest production to date. The title is built around a wheel-of-fortune mechanic and four bonus rounds, with a studio set designed around an Aztec theme.
The main wheel has 54 segments, with base numbers 1, 2, 5 and 10, plus four bonus spots. Creedroomz said each segment has its own payout multiplier, and that after bets close a random number or bonus segment may receive an added multiplier of up to x50.
Creedroomz said the game includes four bonus rounds: Marble Race, a physical marble race in-studio with payouts up to 6,250×; Boom Blast, a 3D bonus where players choose one of three cannons with multipliers up to x100 on low risk and up to x500 on high risk; Dice Fight, shown on an LED screen with random multipliers up to 10,000x and rerolls on ties; and Eldorado, a multi-level pick-and-reveal bonus where multipliers combine across four levels, with a fifth “Zenith” level unlocked by finding hidden diamonds.
“With Road to El Dorado, we didn’t just want to build a wheel; we wanted to build a world,” says Arturs Fjodorovs, CPO at Creedroomz. “By combining physical studio elements with RNG-driven 3D visuals, we’ve created a multi-layered experience that offers something for every type of player. It is a true spectacle for operators and a goldmine for engagement.”
Creedroomz: https://creedroomz.com/ Official company site for product and portfolio context.
Malta Gaming Authority (MGA): https://www.mga.org.mt/ Relevant regulator for verifying licensing and game supply credentials if applicable.
UK Gambling Commission (UKGC); https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/ Relevant regulator for checking market access and licensing where applicable.
The post Creedroomz launches Road to El Dorado live casino game show appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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