February 23, 2026
Cart wars: lists vs vibes
Psychology suggests making a shopping list is a sign of sharper thinking
Handwritten grocery lists mean brain power—deal hunters and Siri stans clap back
TLDR: Psychologists say handwritten grocery lists show strong planning and self-control, helping avoid impulse buys. Comments explode: deal hunters ditch lists, Siri stans automate, and skeptics call it lifestyle fluff—proof that shopping carts double as battlegrounds for how we think and buy.
Psychologists say a handwritten shopping list signals brain power—planning, memory, and self-control that help you dodge impulse buys. But the comments turned it into aisle warfare. One camp swears lists are a flex of executive function. The other says, “Relax, it’s groceries.”
Deal hunter antonymoose lit the first match: no formal list, just weekly ads and whatever’s on sale—because if that sirloin looks lousy, you pivot. k310 chimed in with a minimalist rule: if your list has more than six key items, you’re overloading yourself. Meanwhile, magicmicah85 proudly outed themselves as a Siri-powered list-maker, piping grocery tasks into Obsidian like a productivity cyborg. On the flip side, renewiltord roasted the whole topic as “Dear Dorothy” fluff, dropping a horoscope joke about brains in retrograde, which instantly became the thread’s meme. And zeta0134 debuted the “mind’s-eye pantry tour,” walking the store on autopilot using memory, not paper.
Fans of the study cited working memory and smart offloading—get it out of your head, onto your paper. Critics fired back: lists don’t beat bad deals or bad steak. The vibe: pen-and-paper purists vs. improv shoppers vs. automation nerds. The only consensus? In aisle 12, discipline, vibes, and memes are all valid shopping strategies.
Key Points
- •Handwritten shopping lists reflect strong executive function, including planning and impulse control.
- •Cognitive strategies in everyday habits can indicate intelligence beyond test scores.
- •Working memory is limited, and lists help manage cognitive load in complex environments.
- •Cognitive offloading via writing frees mental resources, improving decision quality.
- •Written lists are linked to fewer impulsive purchases and better adherence to shopping goals; handwriting may add benefits.