Can GLP-1 drugs help stop compulsive shopping, gambling and other ways people throw away their money?

October 8, 2026 / 11:13 AM EDT / CBS News

A growing body of research suggests GLP-1 drugs can do more than just help people lose weight by curbing addictive behaviors. Now, experts at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania want to see whether the drugs can benefit people's bank accounts by reducing risky financial decisions, such as gambling or compulsive shopping.

"We believe GLP-1s will ultimately lead to some structural remodeling of the brain, which is where some of those long-term impacts on food choice could show up, but also on financial decision-making," Michael Platt, a neuroscientist and professor at Wharton, told CBS News.

"It might be very good financially for the average person — maybe they're putting more money into savings," he added.

In a first-of-its-kind study, Platt and his fellow researchers will examine how GLP-1s influence the body's reward system, a network of brain structures that reinforces certain behaviors, to see whether the drugs suppress temptations such as luxury purchases, gambling or other activities that people often find hard to control.

If that proves true, GLP-1s could help Americans resist risky financial decisions and potentially develop better spending and saving habits, Platt said.

The body's…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/