I HAVE lost the number of times I've said "I only popped into town to go to pay a bill...", as I struggle home with armfuls of carrier bags.

It's sad, but I can't venture into any town centre without being drawn to the shops. It is as if an invisible force is instructing me to remove items from the shelves and to carry them to the till...and I'm not alone.

For years, I've wondered why women become distracted when faced with a row of shops? Why, when we only need a loaf of bread, do we meander miles off course and spend hours wandering around picking up cushions and candlesticks, or rifling through the sales rails in clothes shops?

Now I have the answer. Women, it seems, lose their common sense when they head for the high street. The part of the female brain responsible for rational thought almost totally shuts down, a scientific study has revealed. But the zones which govern emotional thought and send the body pleasant feelings go into overdrive. Because shopping is so enjoyable, it is a form of stress relief.

The more expensive the items, the research by a German university revealed, the more the brain switches off, resulting in an almost complete loss of sanity.

In my case, every word is true bar expenditure. I take after my late grandmother and am a charity shop girl through and through. I may end up with heaps of carriers, but I don't spend much. The more expensive the item the more I worry and the less I'm likely to buy it.

This is not the case for most of my friends, however, who regularly pop to town for a child's birthday present and end up with a little black dress and a mohair coat for their own wardrobe.

Compared with many women I'm a cheapskate, but the instant I spot a bargain my brain shuts down. Once I have bagged it, I'll be on a high for at least a week.

Men are the opposite. When they go into town for one item, they return with exactly that. And you hardly ever hear a man crowing about an amazing sale purchase.

These findings may reinforce the image of the scatty female, but so what if we leave our brains at home while shopping? Better than doing it at work or while looking after the children.

And for stress relief it's so satisfying - better than drugs or therapy.

With Christmas coming its a good time of year for men to try it - to have a good town centre browse. On second thoughts, I don't want my husband coming home laden with goods, sheepishly spluttering out the words: "I only went out for a torch battery..."