Newsdelivers.com –
Shopping can have a positive impact on some people’s mental health. This is often known as retail therapy. Some people may feel calmer and happier when they spend their money on shopping.
Retail Therapy is a popular term for shopping to calm or improve mood. This is motivated by the desire to feel better than meeting needs.
This activity can also be called comfort shopping, stress shopping, or compensative purchasing.
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However, sometimes this therapy doesn’t need to be a guilty pleasure. Sometimes, this can be a soothing and empowering experience for some people who are feeling sad or stressed.
Why Shopping Can Improve Your Mood?
“Research shows that there are actually many psychological and therapeutic values when you shop, of course if done in medium numbers,” said Scott Bea, Psyd, Clinical Psychology, quoted from the Cleveland Clinic page, Tuesday (10/24/2023).
A study has shown that making shopping decisions can help strengthen a sense of personal control over the environment. This can also relieve feelings of sadness.
Another study conducted by the University of Michigan showed that buying items you like can be 40 times more effective in providing a sense of control than not shopping.
In this study, those who actually owned the items were also three times less likely to feel sad when compared to those who just looked at them.
“This study shows that when you feel like things are not going your way, getting what you want can feel like a positive personal accomplishment,” Bea said.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Retail Therapy
Despite having a positive impact on mental health, retail therapy might also be able to provide losses to the mother. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this activity:
Retail therapy advantage
This therapy provides several benefits for mothers, here are some of them:
1. Self-confidence
A little retail therapy can increase self-confidence. This also broadens your perspective to see more ways to improve the life of you or your loved ones.
2. Personal control
3. Spark imagination
Shopping can trigger imagination with real images, odors, and desired object texture. This can encourage to think creatively and believe that Mother can improve life in a certain way.
Kerugian Retail Therapy
Too much of a good thing can be bad for some people. Retail therapy easily makes some people shop excessively, wasting money, time and energy. Here are some disadvantages to consider:
Retail therapy can be a gateway to compulsive buying, a form of addiction. Compulsive buying is purchasing items repeatedly to deal with negative feelings or events.
2. Increase anxiety
Avoiding the hassle of shopping for a while may seem a quick and painless solution at first. Unfortunately, this can actually increase anxiety.
Well, those are some things you can know about retail therapy, namely shopping to relieve stress. Hopefully useful, yes, Mother.
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Also watch the video on the four benefits of meditation for mental health below, Mother.
(asa/fia)