Chasing Pleasure through Compulsive Buying

Shopping has become second nature. It’s not only an activity, it’s a lifestyle. It can be a physical way to process emotions, both good and bad. Just got a promotion? Well, you need a few new pieces in your wardrobe! Just got fired? The mall has pretzels and your favorite stores, you’ll find peace there. It’s a way of gathering your community, supporting one another during difficult times. Some shop to escape their problems, some shop to prepare them to tackle their problems. Shopping itself is neutral, and certainly at times necessary, but with many things that give us a rush, shopping can turn into problematic behavior like Compulsive Buying Disorder.

Compulsive Buying Disorder, or retail therapy or shopping addiction, is characterized by excessive shopping habits and buying behavior that leads to distress or impairment. A disorder found worldwide, compulsive buyers tend to have an additional, co-occurring disorder like depression or anxiety. In the addiction world, shopping addiction is considered a passive addiction, meaning an addiction to things other than drugs or alcohol. Compulsive buying also looks different for everyone. Some might compulsively buy year-round or in sporadic binges. Additional signs include: 

• The act of shopping causes feelings of euphoria or a “high.”
• The urge to buy is overwhelming and must be gratified instantly.
• Items bought during shopping sprees are often unnecessary.
• Shopaholics often go shopping with the intention to buy only a few items and end up buying much more than they intended.
• Purchased items may be hidden from family and friends out of guilt.
• Shopaholics are often in debt, have maxed out credit cards, and are in generally bad financial straits due to spending beyond their means.

Certainly, getting a rush from treating yourself does not mean you’re “addicted to shopping.” In fact, only around 6% of the US general population suffers from crippling compulsive buying. The rest of us are simply victims of marketing. Advertising is designed to exaggerate the positive results of purchase and suggest that the purchase will lead to an escape from life’s problems. Certain marketing tricks are designed to trigger impulse buying or a rush of dopamine.

Researchers at Stanford found that when you see pictures of items you’d like to purchase, a region in your brain with dopamine receptors is activated. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. It enables us to not only see rewards but to take action towards them. So when out shopping and you spy the sale rack, you might be triggered with a sensation of instant gratification. 

NeuoTracker, the most scientifically validated cognitive training technology used to increase brain performance, summarizes the easy shift from product sales to compulsive problematic behavior: “The more you feel good about a sale, the more likely you will continue to shop. But afterward, similar to alcoholics or drug addicts, intense feelings of guilt may arise. To get that high again…we go back for more.” 

Compulsive buying is more than a “bad habit” and can be very devastating to relationships, finances, and well-being. There are many ways to help manage your habits, both small and large, from deleting the credit card autofill on your internet browser to actively freezing accounts. Know, though, that challenging your spending is only the beginning. There are many external resources like support groups, counseling, and a financial advisor with experience that can help get you back in the black.

by Shelby Lueders