You know the feeling. That little rush when your eye drifts to the ads on the side of your favorite social media page. Those little blurbs speak to your love of leather handbags, gourmet burgers, or tech gadgets. They call for just a quick click, a minute browse… and your credit card. Those ads – and… Continue reading Is New Brain Research on Happiness Creating a Monster?
Category: Retail Psychology
The Holidays are Coming! Happiness? You’ll have MORE if you Don’t Go to the Store!
The holidays are coming. Not only do we begin brainstorming gifts for friends and family, we also think about our own wish list. Before you spend a whole lot of time, energy, and money in this pursuit, listen up. Research keeps showing us that the best and most satisfying presents don’t come in Santa’s big… Continue reading The Holidays are Coming! Happiness? You’ll have MORE if you Don’t Go to the Store!
Male Shopaholics – The Truth
By: Georgia Watson As you sign for the fifth package of the week, the courier smiles at you. “Shopping again, love?” You nod dutifully, not wanting to admit that the box belongs to your husband…they all do. We all joke about being shopaholics, especially after a splurge in the Zara sale, but how do you… Continue reading Male Shopaholics – The Truth
What Aging Has to Tell Us About Fashion
While we traditionally make relatively short-term New Year’s resolutions, it’s also when many of our thoughts turn to aging, that unavoidable measure of the passage of time. Along with the inevitable decline of some of our faculties, there’s often – at least for septuagenarians and even older seniors – an increased clarity about whom we… Continue reading What Aging Has to Tell Us About Fashion
Merry Shopping and a Happy New Car?
I’ve heard holiday come-ons before, but these take the cake. Last week, a friend told me that a few years ago, in the midst of the holiday season, she received a circular in the mail with the words “Merry Shopping, and a Happy New Car” bolded, italicized, in big red and green block letters, splayed… Continue reading Merry Shopping and a Happy New Car?
Survey says: High Percentage of Americans at Risk for Shopaholism
This month, CreditDonkey surveyed over 1,000 Americans about their shopping habits and payment preferences. The results suggest that a significant percentage of consumers display many of the shopaholism indicators. The biggest red flag is feeling a rush of excitement after making a purchase, which nearly half of all responders felt! Another is feeling guilt after… Continue reading Survey says: High Percentage of Americans at Risk for Shopaholism
Retail Therapy is a Ruse
There is an interesting phenomenon going on in our American culture these days, centered around shopping. This is the idea of “retail therapy,” a popular notion that when you’re feeling blue, shopping is a great pick-me-up. In fact, the term oversimplifies and minimizes the serious problem of a shopping addiction. Additionally, it suggests that shopping actually… Continue reading Retail Therapy is a Ruse
Why Do Shopping Addicts Keep Spending Their Money?
According to their self-report, about 10% of all adults in western countries report themselves as displaying compulsive buying symptoms. How to explain the proliferation of this behavior; why does 10% of the western world continue to overshop in the face of debt, seriously compromised relationships, guilt, shame, anxiety and deteriorating self-worth? Ryan Howell, Associate Professor… Continue reading Why Do Shopping Addicts Keep Spending Their Money?
Lying About Your Shopping Habits to the People You Love
When your spending is out of control, it can wear you down emotionally and put a strain on your relationships. Even if it doesn’t come directly from your debt, it could be out of shame for your actions, causing you to hide your secret addiction from the people you love. If you’re embarrassed about your… Continue reading Lying About Your Shopping Habits to the People You Love
Women Who Hide their Shopping Addiction from their Husbands
Shopping addiction is not a problem isolated to this side of the Atlantic. Buckinghamshire psychologist Nadine Field treats an average of six women a week who have been spending behind their partners’ backs. Thirty-three-year-old Elenor Smith has been spending money she and her husband don’t have for the past three years. She’s been piling up… Continue reading Women Who Hide their Shopping Addiction from their Husbands