The Psychology of FREE

If you have couponed for any length of time, you should know that FREE stuff is truly the key into people’s hearts. And minds.

The word “FREE” makes people jump out of their chair and speed off to the nearest store – it makes people purchase clothing that might not fit.. just to get a second item free. It makes people giddy with excitement when they can receive a mailbox of FREE things to try out even if it was something they know they won’t use….”who cares it was free”…

It also skews your thinking as you choose less nutritious foods over quality foods that are better for your health.. it also drives you to stock up on health and beauty care without any second thought as to what you are actually putting in your cart (and on your body).

But WHY?

I think about this often – and only because many of my closest friends say things that force me to think about it almost daily.

Take for example Body Wash that *might* be FREE with coupon – at a particular store in town. Friends suggest posting it on your blog – it might be a great deal!    But we have been making our own now for a few years and no coupon or sale is going to make us look back ~ perhaps we know too much about the commercial body wash to even consider it.

But what prompts people to disregard all else in favor of FREE?

When it comes to FREE items, your behavioral pattern changes – your body experiences this emotional trigger that’s irresistible – you can’t resist.

Why is FREE so Valuable?

Why does the word FREE make people act so irrational, and in some cases, disregard reality in order to get something that costs nothing – or, perhaps may be terrible for you. Or, in some cases, truly unecessary (ie. you might not need it)?

Chances are, if you have done any couponing in the past, you’ll know that FREE is highly desired… regardless of what the item is.  You best believe you will see a lot of hubbub around the item  – you might even see empty shelves depending on where the item is free at and what is required to obtain it for that cost.

Advertisers (and bloggers too) know that the word FREE will motivate you.  If you are shopping in a store, it’ll encourage foot traffic. For bloggers, the word FREE equates to clicks – massive clicks in some cases, and the chance that that deal will go viral due to it’s popularity.  A popular post with something that’s FREE essentially leads to more traffic and visits – and thus means that you have a greater chance for higher ad revenue and more money in your pocket.

Ever seen Facebook headlines that read “***FREE —-> RUN HURRY RUN RUN HURRY!****”?

The hype plays with your emotions – which are already in favor of free. It reinforces the feeling that you should need to get in the car NOW to whiz to the store for that item. OR, if it’s online, it means that you should drop that load of laundry, tell your kids to wait.. while you jump on the computer so as not to miss the deal.

When people pay cash for something, that’s associated with pain – it’s also associated with a risk. You may or may not love what you are buying – if the end result means that you don’t like the particular item, then you have lost out on hard earned money.

But when the item is FREE, that same risk isn’t there – therefore the offer (whatever it might be) holds a value that’s much higher.

The Effects of FREE

It might not be obvious to some, but at some point, if you happen to take a step back and evaluate your frame of mind you will realize that free isn’t always bargain.

It’s so incredibly easy at times to see that word (FREE) and it’s then that irrational decisions start to creep in – some of the best examples include FREE Pancake Day at IHOP (where you might spend 30-45 minutes in line for FREE pancakes that don’t truly end up being “FREE” because try as you wish, it’s hard to walk out of there without buying a drink, and you should really tip…

That super size soda you pick up at the movie theater … not because you are really that thirsty but because refills are FREE.

Those FREE pens you can score at the store this week with coupon, despite the fact that the paper was $2 just to get the coupons, and you don’t plan on using the rest of the inserts for anything decent.

That FREE 2 liter of soda you can score at Kmart with a text offer – despite the fact that you might spend more time & gas in driving there to get it… or the fact that soda is just rotten for you in the first place – why even bother?

It might sound contradictory to say these things, especially from a coupon blog that teaches you to save ~ it’s something we have heard being mentioned over the last 6-12 months. Sure, we love to save.

But we also love to be realistic too.  

And just because we love to save money doesn’t necessarily mean we are willing to eat anything or pick up items JUST because they are free.

FREE is great – but it’s important to ask yourself some questions before you jump in and scoop up that item – because as attractive as they are, they might not always be the best choices.

We get excited at the opportunity for FREE food because it seems like a great value. But cheap food or FREE food isn’t worth much – not in taste, and not in health. Some also get excited at the opportunity to load up on FREE health and beauty products – despite the fact that many of these items are full of synthetic chemicals, parabens, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, and even phthalates. 

The same way you look at food labels you should do for your beauty products. There are thousands of chemicals in your health and beauty items – all of which are absorbed into your skin (the largest and most porous organ in the body). These companies have free reign to use any ingredient or raw material without any approval or oversight. The personal care product industry is highly unregulated – you can read here to see the reasons you might want to avoid them.

One of the most important lessons I have learned over the last few years is rather easy:

Just because it’s free doesn’t necessarily mean you have to buy it. Or eat it.