Using data mined from a smart phone app that tracks account balances (Check), Matthew Shapiro and colleagues found that Americans’ tendency to steeply increase spending after the receipt of anticipated income (pay or benefits checks) can be mostly accounted for by their payment of regularly recurring bills rather than shopping splurges. Shapiro says: “That’s not irrational. That’s sensible cash management.” They also found, however, that individuals with less cash in their bank accounts increased their spending more after receiving a payment than did folks with more money in the bank.

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