![]() ![]() Plenty of studies show that buying experiences is more satisfying that buying things. Though the happiness that results from acquiring an item may be short-lived, the happiness that comes from thinking about and planning for a purchase can be sustained.īelow are a few tips for prolonging retail therapy afterglow: The Consumer Research study argues that buying is less satisfying than wanting, but not that buying makes people sad. ![]() That doesn’t mean all purchases end in remorse or longing. (Super shoes, indeed.)īut after the purchase was made, and the anticipation faded into reality, what followed was what the researchers called “hedonic decline.” Happy feelings dissipated. Most, especially those who self-identified as materialists, anticipated future purchases with strong, positive emotions: They felt joy, excitement, optimism and peacefulness when they thought of their future purchase, which they also believed would improve their relationships, boost their self-esteem, enable them to experience more pleasure and be more efficient. Researchers analyzed the emotional state of consumers before and after making a significant purchase. The evidence: In June, the Journal of Consumer Research published a study finding that when it comes to shopping, wanting things makes people happier than actually having them, even among those, such as Susan, who do not experience buyer’s remorse. Meaning: You’re better off if you don’t buy the outfit, or gadget, or piece of art, but simply long for it. That is, the electric jolt shopping can provide is a result of the act of desiring, more than the act of fulfilling. That’s because the happiness that buying something provides is derived not from acquiring the item, or from the item itself, but from the targeting it, wanting it and anticipating its arrival into your life. Indeed, studies show, money can buy happiness.Ī December 2012 study published in the journal Emotion found well-being rises with income at all levels of income – and that richer families, and countries, are happier than poorer ones.īut retail therapy might not work quite in the way consumers assume it works. The study noted that 28% of shoppers had purchased something to celebrate an occasion or personal victory and 62% to cheer themselves up. According to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing, retail therapy can positively affect your mood. In many ways, retail therapy works: A great dress or a sharp, well-fitting suit can soothe the soul, provide a confidence boost that helps you land a job, or inspire creativity in a way that’s more than just imagined. Retail therapy has long been a tool for the stressed-out, brokenhearted or just plain bored some figures, including a 2012 survey by online retailer eBates put the number of Americans who go shopping to feel better at more than half. “They may have filled a need, but they didn’t make me any happier, not like imagining myself in them had seemed to do.” “I rarely regretted a purchase, but having a new pair did not make me want more pairs any less,” she told me. But when the box was opened, the shoes tried on, admired and put away, Susan was left to wonder: Now what? ![]()
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