Quote by Jeffrey Kluger
Credit or debit cards, for starters, are nothing short of shoppers' Novocain. Even in the age of digital purchases and virtual money, we still attach a special value to dirty paper with pictures of presidents on it. Handing some of that to a cashier simply hurts more than handing over a little sliver of plastic.
Summary
This quote is emphasizing the psychological impact of using physical currency, specifically credit or debit cards. It suggests that despite the convenience and prevalence of digital transactions, there is still a unique significance attached to physical money. When making purchases with cash, the act of physically handing it over to a cashier creates a stronger sense of spending and loss compared to simply using a plastic card. The comparison to Novocain, a painkiller, suggests that our attachment to physical currency may numb us to the sensation of spending money.