Any type of stress is scary. It can simmer over time and hit anyone like a sudden jolt. In fact, it can blast you unexpectedly. Fret not because here’s retail therapy to save you from your struggle.
What Is Retail Therapy Exactly?
Retail therapy can be more than just an appealing phrase. Most recent researches pertain to it as something that can ease anxiety and stress by just one purchase away.
Visiting a favorite boutique or window-shopping to lift one’s mood has been the subject of different surveys and reports these days which suggests that shopping while lonely can perhaps, help comfort such feeling. Apart from that, it can also minimize the effect of an imminent stressful life event.
Does shopping therapy really help?
Can retail therapy be the best way out of misery? While it isn’t recommended as a long-term strategy, science proved that it can make sad people happier. Based on what the University of Michigan published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, choosing something and purchasing them was known to be 40 times more effective in dealing blues rather than just browsing.
As a matter of fact, shoppers who participated in the research were three times less unhappy than the non-shoppers. Most researchers said that their work recommends creating shopping options could help anyone bring back their sense of personal control over their environment and eventually, it lessen sadness. These findings contradict what most people negatively know about shopping therapy.
Retail Therapy Meaning – What Is The Psychology Behind It?
The whole concept of retail therapy is not new anymore. But there’s a distinction between two behavior types. Every time we feel bad about something, we try to change how we feel while other people who feel positive hold back to prevent losing such good feeling.
Francine Espinoza Petersen from the European School of Management and Technology analyzed the logic. She figured out that it isn’t just about the emotional state. The certainty level about their emotion matters as well.
This makes a great deal of sense then. Once someone feels bad, they are more expected to pamper every time in doubt since they think they could improve or alter the way they feel. Meanwhile, when someone’s in a good state or vibe, most probably they indulge once certain about it since there is a less danger of killing a good vibe with regret or guilt.
The Yoga Shop
Although retail therapy is proven to be an effective way to boost one’s mood as well as exercise control over the situation, it is not always the right coping mechanism. Not everyone has endless financial resources even if your issues and problems flow continuously.
Plenty of individuals out there have gone into debt due to retail therapy addiction. Thus, you need to practice restraint. Lucky for you, you can divert your attention without going broke through yoga. These past few decades, it has been gaining popularity as one of the most effective ways to reduce stress and anxiety. In this respect, it can significantly improve one’s overall health without spending too much money.