London - We may have all been guilty of the occasional petty retaliation when frustrated with our partners.
But our desire for revenge can, apparently, lead us into some very odd behaviour while out shopping, scientists claim.
They reckon that, subconsciously, we take out our exasperation by buying brands we know our "better halves" will not like. So-called "oppositional choice" involves for instance buying yourself Diet Coke, knowing that your partner prefers the full-sugar version.
The subtle tactic is used unwittingly as revenge by a partner with a poor level of power in the relationship who feels unable to voice their frustrations openly, a study suggested. Dr Danielle Brick, an assistant professor of marketing said: "By unconsciously choosing the opposite brand to what their partner prefers, people might feel better without realising it.
"We found that consumers are using brand choice as a form of behaviour to deal with conflict in relationships."
In the US study at Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics in New Hampshire, nearly 300 participants were assessed on how much say they had in the relationship.
Next, they were asked about their partners’ preferred brands in six categories, including toothpaste, coffee and shoes. Then, they were questioned on how much they linked their partners’ names to words that evoked frustration, sadness or neutral emotions.
Finally, volunteers were asked to choose what brands they preferred in the same six categories, with the results published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Partners who were low in relationship power and felt frustrated were more likely to select brands that were the opposite of what their partners preferred.