Looking to lose weight? Avoid the mall

MINNEAPOLIS, March 8 (UPI) -- Those hoping to lose weight by maintaining self-control might want to avoid the mall, where temptations to spend money abound, a U.S. study found.

University of Minnesota researchers discovered people who exercise self-control -- such as dieting or trying not to look at or think about something -- will tend to make more impulse purchases if given the opportunity.

Researchers Kathleen D. Vohs and Ronald J. Faber say they are the first to measure actual spending patterns after the exertion of self-control.

The findings, published in the issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, shows that people "need self-regulatory resources to resist impulse buying temptations, and that these resources can be depleted by prior self-control efforts."