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You had a bad day, so when you get home, you decide to cheer yourself up
by ordering a fancy dinner or that pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing
to treat yo’ self, also known as retail therapy.
And you are not alone
more than half of Americans indulge in some type of retail therapy,
and psychologists have wondered if
it actually leaves us feeling more unfulfilled than happy.
But recent research suggests that retail therapy can actually improve your mood,
even in the long-term.
The phrase retail therapy refers to the process of trying to cheer yourself up
by buying yourself gifts or treats.
And the purchase can be triggered by a range of negative emotions,
like sadness, stress, or low self-esteem.
The purchase might look, or even feel, impulsive, because it basically is.
But at the same time, it’s also intentional,
because you’re buying something specifically to cheer you up.
Behavior like that, which is both impulsive but intentional,
might sound contradictory, but according to the self-regulation theory,
it kind of makes sense.
This theory says that you’re constantly balancing your thoughts,
emotions, impulses, and behaviors.
So if your need to regulate your negative emotions is in conflict with your need to
regulate your impulsive decisions, you may intentionally shift some of your energy
from impulse control to emotional regulation.
In other words, you give into the impulse to buy that thing,
in order to help regulate your mood!
And researchers have checked to see if these purchases
actually succeed in cheering folks up.
A 2011 study of 69 college students found that every single one had purchased
something as a treat during the previous week,
and 62% said they bought it explicitly to cheer themselves up.
A similar study was done in 2014, where it showed buying something
after a sad movie made people feel better afterward.
So in both studies, mood improved after making a purchase,
but the best part is those good feelings stick around!
In that same 2011 study, participants were asked how they felt
after two weeks of making the purchase.
And the people who bought something to cheer themselves up
reported fewer negative feelings about their impulse buy.
But there is a caveat.
Some research has found that retail therapy doesn’t seem to work with
stronger emotions like anger, or more chronic negative feelings like loneliness.
And researchers think that actually has to do with choice.
Things like sadness can be associated with feeling like a situation is out of control,
and that you’re at the whims of some intangible force that’s screwing things up.
So one way to control your sadness is to control your sense of, well, control.
When you’re feeling temporarily sad or bad about yourself, making intentional
choices like where to shop and what to buy are things you have control over.
So, retail therapy might not be great for anger, because that emotion can be
associated with the feeling that other people are causing your negative feelings.
And controlling your environment won’t change what someone else is doing.
So retail therapy isn’t just a fun activity to distract you
or even the thrill of getting something new.
The important part is that you’re choosing your own treat.
But even though it’s called retail therapy, it isn’t actual therapy,
and it has limitations.
Too much retail therapy can be problematic for your bank account.
And while it can help lessen negative emotions,
it doesn’t usually address the cause of those emotions.
But pay attention to what negative emotions you’re soothing with shopping.
If you feel tense, anxious, or preoccupied when you’re not shopping
and relieved when you finally do, or if your shopping habit is creating financial
or personal problems, that might actually be compulsive shopping.
The good news is that healthy retail therapy doesn’t cause new negative emotions.
Even though retail therapy purchases may be unplanned,
people don’t tend to have much guilt, buyer’s remorse,
or anxiety after the honeymoon period with their new toy has passed.
See, most people stay within their budget
when they’re trying to cheer themselves up.
In fact, one study found that people who are treating themselves
because they’re in a bad mood tend to spend less money on their unplanned
purchases than people who are treating themselves to celebrate something.
So after the purchase, retail therapy shoppers don’t usually
feel like they’ve overindulged, and they don’t try to make up
for their treat by returning it, or making budget cuts in another area.
They just let themselves enjoy it.
This is also called mental accounting.
When you make an unplanned purchase,
you shift money around among categories while constantly doing bookkeeping
and maintaining flexible categories of spending.
So it's possible we don't feel buyer's remorse in these situations
because we feel like we deserve a treat.
And if we’ve earned it, there’s no reason to regret it later.
So go ahead and choose to treat yo’ self after your next bad day.
You’ll feel better, and there aren’t many downsides.
As long, of course, as you treat with moderation.
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psych!
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