How do you feel when you spot a couple smooching in a TV advert? Or when you see pictures of honeymooners cosying up on holiday? If you are single, this can lower your self-esteem and trigger feelings of depression, according to new scientific research. 
Researchers from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School found that happy couples in commercials or adverts can make single people feel that they no longer deserve nice things and by reminding them of the relationship they don’t have “triggers them to restrict their own indulgent consumption.”
Consumer psychologist and assistant professor at USC Marshall School Lisa Cavanaugh explained: “By reminding people of relationships they don’t have, marketers inadvertently make consumers feel undeserving and less worthy of treating and rewarding themselves.”
Far from splashing out on themselves, the study found that singletons feel less deserving of spending money on themselves and choose lower-end brands and lower-calorie foods. This phenomenon is particularly bad during holidays and wedding season, where ads of couples are more prominent, they noted. 
In seven experiments, the school used different types of relationship reminders, such as ads, greeting cards and magazine articles and scenarios, and then measured the choices such as personal care products, clothing and accessories of both students and adults.
Just before Valentine’s Day, one study saw participants being shown consumer electronic greeting cards that emphasized one of two close relationship types: romantic or platonic. Those taking part were asked to choose between economy, mid-range or higher-end brands of lip balm, perfume, shampoo and hand cream. The results revealed that being reminded of romantic relationships caused singletons to choose fewer high-end products, whereas seeing platonic relationships caused them to indulge more.
Cavanaugh added: “Marketers may need to rethink the prevalent practice of using images of idealized relationships to sell everything from cookies to cameras. Because many consumers don’t have those relationships.
“Perceived deserving carries over to affect subsequent choices across multiple product categories – everything from the foods you choose to the amount of money you’re willing to spend on clothing,
accessories and even personal care products across retailers.”
What do you make of this study? Do you agree or disagree?
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