Are you addicted to eBay? Do you overshop at Amazon? Have you found yourself spending a lot of time on the Internet comparing prices? Instant access, whether from home or office, has created an easy and hassle-free shopping experience, enticing unprecedented numbers into the online shopping world. Current research suggests that at least two out… Continue reading Compulsive Buying on the Internet: Recent Research
Category: Compulsive Buying
Recommended Reading: Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding
Many visitors to our website have described themselves (or been described by family or friends) in ways that suggest hoarding, and so we’re particularly pleased to come upon this sensible and functional resource. Compulsive saving—hoarding—is typically diagnosed when all three of the following criteria are met: 1) there is the accumulation of objects that most… Continue reading Recommended Reading: Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding
Research Reported in the New York Times
Three recent articles in the New York Times attracted our attention. “Money Doesn’t Talk,” by Shivani Vora, looks at the practice among women of disguising some of their purchases by paying cash, a practice that has grown in recent years even though more and more women are themselves wage earners. Why do they do it?… Continue reading Research Reported in the New York Times
How do Identity, Spirituality, and Life Purpose Interface with Compulsive Buying?
Dr. Kathleen Galek and Ms.Marcela Torres of StoppingOvershopping, LLC are currently conducting a research study among an urban female college population that examines how themes of identity, spirituality, and life purpose interface with compulsive buying. Their study tests the hypothesis that a stable identity, a sense of purpose in life, and a mature spirituality are… Continue reading How do Identity, Spirituality, and Life Purpose Interface with Compulsive Buying?
Study Suggests That 5.8% of U.S. Population Are Compulsive Buyers
The results of a long-awaited and large-scale prevalence study were published in the October issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Professor Larry Koran headed the study, a telephone survey conducted with a random sample of approximately 2500 Americans. According to the results, 6.0% of American women and 5.5% of American men scored in the… Continue reading Study Suggests That 5.8% of U.S. Population Are Compulsive Buyers
Financial Education in the Workplace
On August 16th, a persuasive online article appeared about the harmful effects that financial stress has in the workplace. Jeffrey Strain, who authors this website, cites research that shows greatly decreased efficiency and effectiveness in financially stressed workers. He argues that companies would do well to promote healthier lifestyles in their employees by offering financial… Continue reading Financial Education in the Workplace
Extreme Overshopping Leads To Legal Troubles
Lisa Walker, 42, of New York City, more commonly known as Antoinette Millard, charged nearly a million dollars of goods on her no-limit American Express card during a three-month period in 2004. The former investment banker, who quit her job and pretended to be a Saudi Princess, tried to buy her way into high society.… Continue reading Extreme Overshopping Leads To Legal Troubles
Overshopping Goes Increasingly Global
Within the past few years, research and anecdotal reports of compulsive buying in Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Korea, India, Ireland, Slovakia, and Spain have been published. Is overshopping a new phenomenon in these countries? Is it on the rise? While there’s probably insufficient historical data to answer the first question, preliminary evidence suggests… Continue reading Overshopping Goes Increasingly Global
Recommended Reading: Give It Up! My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less By Mary Carlomagno (New York: Harper Collins, 2006)
Each month, for a year, Carlomagno chose to do without one of her favorite things: alcohol one month, shopping another, cell phones, dining out, elevators, multi-tasking, television, taxis, coffee, chocolate. Her discoveries and observations, which she shares in an easy, anecdotal style, confirm her book’s title: we can indeed live better by living with less.… Continue reading Recommended Reading: Give It Up! My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less By Mary Carlomagno (New York: Harper Collins, 2006)
Consumer Monster Mockumentary
Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Lutter has nearly finished shooting Not For$ale, a mockumentary about overconsumption. Styled after Michael Moore’s work, the film follows the picaresque journey of a Cookie Monsterish yellow puppet. At home in Canada, he meets a variety of people who teach him about the growing movement to scale back our consumption. His addiction… Continue reading Consumer Monster Mockumentary