We humans can so easily give in to our [--1--]. Something as simple as a credit card can weaken self-control. The good news is that the reverse is also true: cash can [--2--]. So says a study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Scientists analyzed people’s [--3--] of various food types and found that foods considered unhealthy were also seen as more likely to be impulsive buys. The researchers then followed the grocery shopping habits of 1,000 households over six months. They found that people bought a larger proportion of unhealthy and impulsive food choices (think: jelly doughnuts) when they used their credit or debit card versus cash.

Desire that leads to impulsive behavior is caused by so-called "visceral factors," like the anticipation of the pleasure of eating the doughnut. And so the author's note that desire might be weakened by [--4--] visceral factors, like pain. Other studies have found that paying with cash was more painful that [--5--] the credit card.

So the pain of cash payment seemed to actually control buyers’ impulses. Seems like the craving to eat a Napoleon can be topped by the desire to hold on to your Benjamins.
【视听版科学小组荣誉出品】
vices buffer us from indulgence perceptions aversive tossing over
现金付款更健康 我们总是很轻易地向自己的恶习屈服。比如说一张简单的信用卡就会减弱我们的自控力。幸好反过来用现金可以我们混沌的大脑回过神来。此项研究结果引自期刊《消费者调查》。 科学家们分析人类对各种食物类型的认知，发现被认定为不健康的食物更容易冲动购买。接着，研究人员追踪1000个家庭6个多月的食品杂货店购物习惯。他们发现相较于现金，人们使用信用卡或者借记卡冲动购买的不健康食物（比如说果冻甜甜圈）所占的比重更大。 引起冲动行为的念头是由所谓的“本能因素”所引起，比如说期盼吃甜甜圈所带来的愉悦感。所以发表论文的作者也注明这种渴望也会被“负面的本能因素”减弱，比如说疼痛。其他研究发现付现金比刷信用卡更加“心疼”。 现金付款时的"心疼"貌似可以控制购买者的冲动。看来对“拿破仑”【注1】欲望会被“本杰明”【注2】扼杀在摇篮中~ 注1：拿破仑蛋糕跟拿破仑其实没有关系，说法之一是由於它的英文名Napoleon，其实是Napolitain的误传，指一种来自意大利Naples的酥皮名字，至今被写作Napoleon而已。拿破仑蛋糕的法文名为Mille feuille，即有一百万层酥皮的意思，所以它又被称为千层酥，它由三层啡色的千层酥皮，夹两层吉士酱制成，材料虽然简单，但酥皮的制作过程却极繁复，师傅要把搓好的面皮不断重复对摺，这样焗出来的酥皮才够松化。拿破仑蛋糕配上鲜果是最理想的组合，不少师傅爱在酥皮之间加上新鲜的士多啤梨或芒果，令味道更加丰富而清甜，甚至有人会用忌廉代替吉士酱，口感同样不俗。 注1：Benjamin： 本杰明•富兰克林（Dr. Benjamin Franklin，1706年1月17日-1790年4月17日）美国著名的政治家与科学家。他同时亦是出版商、印刷商、记者、作家、慈善家；更是杰出的外交家及发明家。文中指代美钞。