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Finally, news that detracts from the power of the internet to control each and every aspect of our lives. According to new research on consumer behavior, physically touching something—a dress, a purse, a computer—markedly increases the likelihood that we'll buy it as compared to, say, when we look at an image on a flickering screen. "When you touch something," warns the study's co-author, "you instantly feel more of a connection to it... that emotion can cause you to buy something you never would have bought if you hadn't touched it." So now we know why Tiffany is in trouble: It's not just the recession, but the fact that no one walks into the glass case-lined store for a pen and impulsively brushes their sticky fingers against a diamond necklace! [Time]