What Happens When You Go Shopping To Repress Your Sadness?

For many people , shopping has turned into a way to distract or entertain themselves. However, it has not always been that way. Shopping used to be done just to get all the necessities at home. It was something necessary and routine. Today, for many people, going to the mall is a way to relax and clear their mind. It can even be a restorative treatment or a form of ‘therapy’.

This is because we live in a consumer society. It was not the preferences and tastes of people that created this desire to go shopping. It was actually the other way around – the new forms of market and economy caused people to develop new preferences for spending their free time. Of course, advertising also plays a big part in this habit, because it makes unnecessary things seem necessary.

Grocery stores used to be designed to help customers find what they were looking for and that was that. Now they have become architectural giants, offering a huge range of comforts and ways to have fun. They basically operate as entertainment centers and have become a social reference point.

Is shopping good or bad for you?

It is a fact that we are part of a consumer society and in one way or another we all play a part in maintaining this dynamic. It is also a fact that no matter how stingy you are, shopping will satisfy you. In addition to fulfilling a need by buying something, buying things also gives you a sense of power and abundance that is difficult to achieve with other activities.

There are studies that prove that the brain benefits from shopping. This was observed during a study conducted at Brunel University in London. When you see something you like, want it and then buy it, you activate certain parts of your brain that release dopamine. This will improve your mood and make you feel a lot happier. This has been scientifically proven.

But the brain also responds to other types of stimuli in this way. You can also improve your mood by exercising or doing some other satisfying activity like dancing or sewing. The same thing happens when someone flirts with you and gives you a compliment that you think is genuine, or when you get lost in the pages of a book. But the market has come to stereotype our satisfaction and always leads it to a mall. This is exactly what the market wants.

Shopping to suppress your sense of discomfort

There is actually nothing wrong with shopping. It can be extremely positive if you do it consciously and responsibly. The problems come when you constantly go to shopping malls to avoid the feeling of discomfort that you are unable to cope in any other way. This is when shopping stops helping you improve your mood. Instead, it only helps to cover up your problems or even create new ones.

You think that the discomfort you experience may go away when you look at the clothes in store windows, go in and out of changing rooms, or picture yourself in your new clothes while paying. But…do you really feel better after those short, important moments are over, or worse?

You often hear people say that they go shopping because they are depressed and want to improve their mood. Or they say that shopping is their therapy to ‘forget’ their problems. Malls have turned into a place to relieve pain and soothe a crushed heart. By buying things we forget that we have limits and problems and that we will not be on this earth forever.

In these circumstances, it is not surprising that people focus their free time on visiting shopping malls or other places where they can spend money. It is also common that they feel a deep frustration when they fail to get there, or when they have to work very hard to earn the income they need to live ‘in style’.

credit cards

The perfect companions for this way of life are credit cards. A while ago they were only for business people or people with a high income. Today, however, it is very easy to get a credit card. They remove all the hurdles when it comes to shopping because you don’t see the money you spend while you shop. You walk away with debt and you’re just happy to move on with your life.

But… your life will deteriorate in many different ways without you realizing it. Much of your earnings will eventually have to be used to pay off that debt on your credit card. And then your world will become one-dimensional.

You will no longer be able to enjoy free activities that do not require transactions. You didn’t do it on purpose, but you have completely handed over all control of your life to the marketing experts. In the end, though, you’re the one who has to pay for it—for the things you bought, for everything you couldn’t experience anymore, and for the consequences of the conflict you couldn’t resolve and tried to hide so you couldn’t see. And you only did it to spend money on things you didn’t really need.