Compulsive shopping is a dire issue which has not beenĀ investigated sufficiently. A recent study looked at 18 compulsive buyers compared to a 17-person control group. The proposed hypothesis was that the shopaholics would have enhanced memory of appealing consumer objects if they were made to feel depressed. Interestingly, when examined, the control group had stronger related memories. Then the study looked at consumer products when paired with emotional and functional constructs. As might be expected, the compulsive buyers linked emotion strongly with products. This was not replicated among the control. Emotions, evidently, do play a role in shopping addiction.
Read the entire article here: Experimental Analysis of the Relationship Between Depressed Mood and Compulsive Buying
