Does retail therapy really make you feel better?
If done on a budget, retail therapy can help brighten your mood when you are feeling down. Psychological and emotional boosts occur when you buy something new in a store or online. Of course, there are consequences when retail therapy gets out of control. What is it about retail therapy that makes you feel better?
When you’re sad, there is a loss of control. When you’re happy, you feel your choices and outcomes are inherent. Shopping can restore that sense of control, even if for just a short time. Choosing an item that you know will give you personal joy, offers a sense of personal achievement and a feeling of getting your way – all of which leads to happiness.
Shopping also plays on our senses. The smell of something new, visualizing how you will use it and seeing it for the first time in your space, all play on your senses in a positive way. In this way, shopping can reduce anxiety and create positive anticipation. It stimulates our imagination and allows us to foresee possibilities.
The act of purchasing is one thing, but even “window shopping” or scrolling can impact your mood. The anticipation of a reward or treat releases dopamine that can make you feel good. It’s the dopamine that will continue that desire to seek happiness. In other words, the whole journey of shopping can lead to happiness.
There’s immediate gratification that comes with shopping in-store, and then there is the anticipation of waiting for the order to arrive when you shop online. The unpredictability of waiting for the package increases anticipation. Sometimes just filling up the cart and not placing the order right away can give you that fix.
Retail therapy is proven to provide happiness, but it goes without saying that too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. Shopping can become a problem — even an addiction. When retail therapy becomes compulsive, anxiety and a loss of control emerge. With therapy, shopping addiction behaviors can be controlled. Addressing the underlying causes will lead to a positive outcome.
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