“Emotional shopping” is an instant satisfaction that drains the budget … and the result is “compulsive purchase” syndrome

Doctors and experts warned of the growing phenomenon of “emotional shopping”, especially during the summer vacation periods, where some resort to purchase with irrational motives, in an attempt to calm internal feelings such as sadness, anxiety, or even excessive joy, without a real need for products.

They told «Emirates Today» that the repetition of this behavior in an uncontrolled manner may be an indication of deeper psychological disorders, such as disorder or compulsive purchase syndrome, or depression, and the matter turns into hidden psychological addiction, when it becomes a way to fill an internal vacuum, or escape from incomprehensible feelings, pointing to the presence of six signs and indicators that require anxiety and intervention, as it indicates that the person loses control over his decisions Purchasing Extreme anxiety indicates a addictive structure of behavior. ” They added that there are four psychological factors that push this behavior when feeling sad, bored or happy, and include “immediate stimulation of purchase, as it stimulates the secretion of dopamine, giving a temporary feeling of happiness or victory, and escaping from negative feelings such as unity or anxiety, feeling control and enhancing self -identity through purchases, and using shopping as a psychological reward after completing or passing a difficult situation.”

They explained that women are more likely to use shopping as a means of venting for feelings of tension or sadness, and their spending is often concentrated on clothes or cosmetics, while men resort to buying out of boredom or self -proving, especially by buying electronics or cars, noting that some electronic stores are using artificial intelligence technologies to analyze user data and estimate their emotional state, whether they are in a state of sadness, joy, joy, or anxiety It enables it to direct offers and products that indirectly stimulate emotional purchase.

Real stories

In detail, (P.A.) said that she finds herself driven sometimes to browse e -shopping sites, especially in leisure or volatile feelings, stressing that she does not enter with the aim of buying something specific, but with an indoor motivation.

She added, “Sometimes I spent more than 1000 dirhams on things that I do not need, and I feel the instant relief after completing the purchase, but later I discovered that I did not need any of these products.” She pointed out that despite her attempts to control this behavior, repeated offers and marketing directed through the communication makes it more difficult.

(Farah. My feelings are, stressing that the experience later prompted her to try to understand its psychological motives and rethink its purchasing behaviors.

(Jamal M. – 33 years old) said that during his annual leave of work he felt a state of emptiness and the desire to break the routine, so he began to spend more time browsing e -shopping sites, which prompted him to buy a number of electronic devices and recreational accessories, although he did not really need them.

He added: “I was happy with my exit from working hours, and I felt a desire to reward myself, so I bought a new phone, headphones and electronic games, and all things were not on the list of my needs.

Real needs

A psychiatrist, Dr. Walid Omar, warned of the spread of the phenomenon of emotional shopping, especially during the summer vacations and seasons, explaining that this behavior is not related to a real need, but rather a motivation to organize or calm internal feelings such as sadness, anxiety or even excessive joy.

He said that repeated and uncontrolled behavior of emotional shopping may be an indication of the presence of deeper psychological problems, such as depression or compulsive purchase disorder, calling for professional psychological evaluation in the event of these behaviors continuing in a way that affects daily life or financial and emotional stability.

He added: “Emotional shopping is defined as a purchase of internal feelings and not motivated by the actual need, and it is completely different from the natural shopping that is planned in advance or driven by real needs.

He explained that the holidays represent an ideal environment for the emergence of this behavior, as the rates of social tension, the feelings of unity, emptiness or boredom increase, along with free time and marketing offers that link purchase to happiness and celebration.

He pointed out that there are four psychological factors that push some to buy and spend when feeling sad, bored or joyful, including “immediate stimulation, as the purchase stimulates the secretion of dopamine, gives a temporary feeling of happiness or victory, and the desire to escape from negative feelings such as unity or anxiety by bus Psychological after completing or passing a difficult situation. ”

He indicated that psychological research indicates the existence of differences between men and women in the way they deal with feelings through shopping, as women often resort to shopping to vent about feelings of tension or sadness, and they are touched to buy clothes or cosmetics, while men may resort to buying as a kind of self -confirmation or getting rid of boredom, especially in areas such as electronics or cars.

He stressed that emotional shopping can be one of the unhealthy adaptation mechanisms with psychological pressure, as it is used as a temporary way to escape or suppress feelings, but it does not address them, but may worsen them by feeling guilty or remorse later.

Escape and urgency

The clinical psychologist, Dr. Mirna Schoubah, emphasized that emotional shopping turns into psychological behavior that requires treatment intervention when it exceeds its natural limits, and begins with the negative impact on multiple ways of a person’s life, so it is an attempt to fill an internal vacuum resulting from a failure to achieve contentment, or as a way to silence existential anxiety that does not disclose himself except in repeated behavior.

She pointed out that there are six signs and indicators that the person loses control of his purchasing decisions, and it calls for anxiety and intervention, and includes “a feeling of compulsion or urgency to buy despite attempts to stop, and the use of shopping as a way to escape negative feelings such as sadness, unity, anger, and continuing to spend despite the negative consequences, such as financial deterioration or family problems, and feeling guilty or anxiety yet Purchase, secret shopping or lying about it, and the appearance of symptoms similar to withdrawal or tension when trying to refrain from buying, such as nervousness or extreme anxiety, indicating an addictive structure of behavior.

She explained that the holiday seasons constitute fertile ground to exacerbate this behavior, due to the increasing emotional and social stimuli, stressing the importance of interference through practical psychological tools, including “awareness of the internal catalyst, and asking questions such as:” What do I feel and push me to buy? Is it boredom? emptiness? Feeling of inferiority? » And delay the purchase decision for 24 hours to reduce the feeling of urgency, write a list of real needs before shopping, leave credit cards at home during hiking, remove shopping applications from the phone and use cash only with a specific budget, and apply purchases and feelings associated with them to detect the psychological style associated with behavior.

And on the role of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), she indicated that it is an effective tool that helps a person to identify ideas that precede, evaluate purchasing behavior, and replace them with more balanced ideas, along with learning self -control and emotional regulation techniques, saying: “The treatment is not limited to curbing purchase, but includes building alternatives that achieve a feeling of achievement and satisfaction without relying on holdings, which helps to separate the subjective value About appearance and consumption. ”

She stressed the importance of incorporating psychological and financial awareness within the campaigns directed at the public during the seasons, saying: “Purchaential behavior is not only a financial decision, but a psychological reaction often, and raising psychological awareness enables people to understand their patterns and develop tools to organize their feelings not only their expenses.”

Families called for interference with wisdom and sympathy if they notice this behavior among one of its members, saying: “The family must realize that emotional shopping may be an expression of psychological pain or internal struggle, not just material behavior, and intervention must be based on understanding before guidance, containing before the amendment, and communication before reform, because the human relationship always precedes behavior.”

Marketing strategies

For his part, a retail expert, Dr. Suhail Al -Bastaki, said that emotional shopping is often stemming from internal motives for individuals with the aim of alleviating feelings of sadness, joy, or even tension, indicating that the seasons and vacations contribute greatly to stimulating this type of purchasing behavior.

He added that the commercial centers take advantage of these periods by intensifying promotional offers that target the feelings of shoppers, especially the women’s category, which prompts many to take unprecedented purchase decisions based on emotional temptation and not the actual need. He pointed out that there are studied marketing strategies targeting the internal tendency of individuals, most notably the promotion of trademarks with attractive offers and high discounts, stressing that these offers often affect young groups and push them towards excessive consumer behavior.

He warned against drifting behind the tempting advertisements, stressing that the youth category, especially girls, is the most affected by this pattern of emotional purchase, saying: “If you buy a product with a 60% discount without you need it, then you did not benefit from the opponent, but you paid 40% of the owner in exchange for something you do not need.”

He explained that e -marketing has contributed to accelerating the pace of emotional shopping, especially in light of the purchase facilities through the sites, which make the individual accept the purchase from his home and comfortably, compared to traditional shopping, and that the development of the means of promotion through social networks increased the pace of attraction to offers.

He emphasized that artificial intelligence has become a powerful tool in tracking and analyzing individual purchase patterns, as it analyzes cards payment and defines favorite brands, which enhances the opportunities to complete the purchase when displaying products compatible with these patterns.

He added that some artificial intelligence programs are able to analyze personal data and determine the emotional state of the user – whether it is in a state of sadness, joy or tension – which is what electronic stores benefit from to display products that enhance emotional purchase behavior.

He stressed the importance of enhancing the culture of savings, stressing that the common rule “will spend first and what remains I will save” is wrong, and that the right thing is to set a specific amount for saving in advance, such as being isolated in an independent banking card, and then spending the remaining according to the need, and advised to avoid entering shopping sites during periods of psychological fluctuation or strong feelings.

Consumers:

• We are going through free time, and volatile feelings that push us to buy thousands of dirhams, and we are not actual need for these products, and the reason is “marketing” through the means of communication.

• 4 psychological factors that push some to buy during sadness or joy, including “a feeling of happiness or victory, escaping from negative feelings, a feeling of control, and self -reward.”