Have you ever tried to explain why it feels soooo satisfyingly delightful to give in to that voice inside your head that says, “Oooh. I really NEED this new outfit,” or “Wow. I gotta have this new bag!”? What about when you’re trying to choose one new lotion, and the little voice tells you to “Just go ahead and buy all three”?
Some call this “retail therapy,” which on the surface seems like a fancy Harvard marketing term created to make the act of “shopping” sound more like “self-help” than blowing money. But the platinum credit card-yielding army of power-shoppers need not fear – there is a very practical scientific explanation for what is going on in the brain that makes buying that new outfit, bag or beauty product feel so addictively good.
Our body’s level of serotonin, aka the happiness drug or the good-guy neurotransmitter chemical responsible for feelings of well-being and joy, has been proven to surge when we do things like stepping outside into the warm sunshine, exercising and yes … shopping ‘til we drop!
So, whether you are shopping for yourself or buying gifts for others, the end result is that you feel good. That’s why we are tempted to shop when we’re stressed out or have had a bad day. Basically, shopping activates the reward center of your brain that triggers the release of serotonin and just like that: you feel better.
Even more reasons to shop! The billion dollar beauty biz counts on research to keep it growing, spending millions every year to dissect and understand our crazy shopping habits. Many of those studies prove that, contrary to popular belief, shopping is NOT spontaneous or thoughtless, nor is it based on emotion; instead, the urge to spend is brought on by activity in a primitive area of the brain that makes us seek new experiences. Not only does this help explain why people go on shopping sprees, but it also explains why our tanners love buying “new” products.
What does this all mean to you? No. 1: it’s your license to shop, girl! Just tear out this article and tuck it away in that Coach bag and the next time your significant other raises an eyebrow as you prance into the house draped in shopping bags, just say, “Baby, here’s why you’re not as happy as me!” And No. 2: this column just helped you make MORE $$, because the next time you hear a salon guest come up with some lame reason why she can’t buy a new lotion, tan extender or sunless product right now, you’ll know that deep down in that pleasure/reward part of her brain, it would make her feel great to give in and buy it!
Salon owners, managers and sales associates: never, ever, EVER underestimate the therapeutic benefits of shopping, bubble baths and a perfectly glowing, full-body bronze to show off a great new pair of pumps! ■
