The idea of death, from a person's own mortality to fatal accidents, make some people more likely to shop, according to new research.

When faced with the idea that they will die, people who are more inclined to shop buy even more while the habits of the spendthrift don’t change, according to researchers in Canada.

Professor Michel Laroche at the John Molson School of Business, a lead author of the study, said that research shows death can make people question their world views on which they base their self-esteem.

“In other words, thinking about death will likely make people cling even more strongly to their beliefs because it's a way to cope with mortality.”

The changing face of the British shopping basket Show all 12 1 /12 The changing face of the British shopping basket The changing face of the British shopping basket The nation's shopping basket The 'shopping basket' of items making up the suite of consumer price inflation indices are reviewed every year. Some items are taken out of the basket, some are brought in, to reflect changes in the market and to make sure the indices are up to date and representative of consumer spending patterns. Over 700 goods and services go in the basket to try and accurately reflect household spending. The prices of each item are then tracked over time to measure inflation, or the rate at which prices are rising or falling. Here is how it has changed since 1947. The changing face of the British shopping basket 1947: Milk, Tea and bread Many items have been in the basket for a very long time: milk, bread and tea have been there since 1947. The changing face of the British shopping basket 1956: The tin kettle If tea has been in our baskets since 1947, the tin kettle dropped out of the list in 1956. It was replaced by the electric kettle in 1987. The changing face of the British shopping basket 1962: The mangle The mangle, used to press or flatten sheets, tablecloths, kitchen towels, or clothing and other laundry, disappeared from the nation's shopping basket in 1962. The changing face of the British shopping basket 1987: The microwave The microwave made its appearance on the list in 1987. It was added with the vacuum cleaner, the washing machine, the hairdryer and the electric kettle among others. The changing face of the British shopping basket 1987: Radiosets Radiosets disappeared from the nation's shopping basket in 1987. The changing face of the British shopping basket 2001: Credit card fees Credit card fees appeared on the list in 2011. The changing face of the British shopping basket 2007: The VHS video recorder The VHS video recorder disappeared in 2007, coincidentally the Blu-Ray player was added to the list in 2010. The changing face of the British shopping basket 2014: DVD recorder The DVD recorder was removed in 2014 due to recording alternatives. The changing face of the British shopping basket 2014: Video-streaming service subscription Kevin Spacey appears in a scene from Netflix series “House of Cards.” A video-streaming service subscription was included in 2014’s virtual shopping basket. The changing face of the British shopping basket 2015: Electronic cigarette refills/liquid Electronic cigarette refills were introduced due to the increase in expenditure as more people are using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid. The changing face of the British shopping basket 2016: Coffee-pods People are making coffee at home rather than buying it out, thanks to the popularity of coffee pods, which made the list for the first time this year.

To make their findings, the researchers at Laroche and HEC Montréal asked 503 North American university students about how likely they are to resist buying products. The participants were then randomly separated into two groups.

One was asked to describe what they would feel if they were dying, while the control group was asked to report how they would feel if they were made to undergo a painful dental procedure. Participants were then surveyed on how likely they were to buy different products.

Those who identified as less spendthrift were more likely to buy products after thinking about death.

“This indicates that such consumers see purchasing and having goods and services as an important source of self-esteem. When they think about death, they become more inclined to buy because this helps them feel better about themselves,” explained Marcelo Nepomuceno, assistant professor at HEC Montréal, co-author of the study published in The Journal of Consumer Affairs.