There are still two months left until Christmas, but there are already those who, once the decorative cobwebs and fake blood have been removed, begin to think about the lights, the reindeer and the artificial snow; In addition to gifts, of course. Even more so with the approach of Black Friday, when it is used to make the first christmas shopping.
Although this season is when consumption is most enhanced, in theory, the borders have been blurring for decades. Advertising is part of our daily lives and online businesses have contributed ubiquity, almost immediacy and convenience when shopping, further encouraging people to fill their shopping cart and have delivery people knock on the door more and more frequently.
This cocktail of offers, constant marketing and the ease of buying from the couch have generated a scenario in which consumerism is the protagonist. Many times it no longer matters what is purchased, but rather that this new acquisition generates an illusion (of course, momentary and that will quickly dissolve in everyday life).
“The act of purchasing generates a rapid dopamine releasewhich produces momentary pleasure. The problem is that, over time, the brain learns to associate that relief with the act of buying, repeating the pattern to regulate the discomfort,” explains María Bernardo, health psychologist and member of Top Doctors Group, a group of healthtech (application of technology to health) specialized in improving the health sector through digital transformation.
This, according to the Top Doctors Group experts, has caused psychological consultations related to compulsive buying in the last 3 years. have increased by 20 or 30%placing 7% of the Spanish population with this behavior.
In most cases, shopping addiction is the result of a attempt to relieve certain emotionssuch as “anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, feeling of emptiness, sadness or boredom.” In the search for pleasure, the person finds in buying, opening packages and brand new a source of dopamine to which they will turn again when these feelings appear again.
A vicious circle is thus generated, since compulsive buying does not solve the problem, but simply alleviates its effects in an ephemeral way. In addition, they can have other effects on mental health, such as increased anxiety, isolation or irascibility. “In my office, it is not usually the main reason why a patient comes, but it does frequently appear as a secondary symptom. And this problem worsens seasonally, especially at Christmas”explains Bernardo.
One of the main aspects that promote compulsive buying is the context in which we currently live: social networks, advertising and e-commerce They constantly generate new needs in consumers. The viralization of a certain product causes more and more people to join the trend, but not out of their own conviction, but rather because they belong to said group. This is the one known as drag effect.
The constant comparison that social networks promote results in a desire to look like the rest and to have what the rest have. Added to this is the urgency with which these channels bombard consumers: strategies related to the stock limit or offers flashFor example.
Javier Álvarez Cáceres, a psychologist in Málaga and also a member of Top Doctors Group, points out that “social channels and stores on-line They project an idyllic lifestyle“, they make it easy to acquire products, they offer raffles, promotions and help create needs to obtain status or social recognition.”
Women are the ones who suffer the most from the pattern of compulsive buying, although this gender difference is increasingly blurring. This is influenced, for example, by the fact that these “have traditionally been the target audience of most campaigns of consumption, especially in sectors such as fashion, beauty or decoration,” explains psychologist María Bernardo to Infobae Spain.
“From a young age, we are taught, more or less explicitly, to associate personal image with value or social acceptance. This aesthetic pressure and perfection can mean that, in moments of insecurity or stress, shopping becomes a form of emotional compensation. In addition, many women use shopping as a self-care or disconnection space (“I deserve it,” “to cheer me up”), which reinforces the emotional reward circuit thanks to the dopamine that this produces.”
The profile of the compulsive buyer is usually that of a person between 25 and 45 years old, according to the experts at Top Doctors Group, as well as an urbanite, with an active life on social networks and a fairly high level of self-demand: “They tend to be people who seek to project an ideal image or who use shopping as a way to compensate for insecurities or stress.”
Because we find ourselves in a social context that bombards the consumer with new needs, offers and calls for attention to make them purchase, treating a compulsive pattern in this regard becomes a complex task. Furthermore, as Álvarez Cáceres explains, this difficulty is also influenced by “denial”, “lie” and “justification” of dysfunctional behaviors”, as is common in “any addiction”.
Therefore, the first step is to recognize the problem. From then on, it is essential to delve into the reasons that have led the person to fall into a loop of compulsive buying. “The therapy in these cases focuses on understanding what function the purchase plays in that person’s life. It is not just about controlling spending, but about discovering what are you trying to fill or calm with purchases,” explains María Bernardo, who emphasizes the importance of working on emotional management, self-control and impulsivity, self-esteem, financial education and consumer awareness.
The psychologist also highlights that, in most cases, taking into account that social networks play such an important role in the creation of compulsive behaviors related to purchases, it is advisable to “reduce exposure” to them because they reinforce “comparison or the constant desire to have more.” “It is not about disappearing from the networks, but about use platforms more consciously: stop following accounts that promote consumerism or unrealistic standards; replace that content with accounts that inspire well-being, sustainability or self-care, or practice ‘digital fasts’ or periods without networks to reconnect with the present,” María Bernardo explains to Infobae Spain.
The key, therefore, lies in “regain control” over social networks: “Let the person choose how and when to consume content, instead of being trapped in a cycle of comparison and desire.”
The experts at Top Doctors Group recommend a series of strategies to avoid falling into compulsive dynamics around the acquisition of products. First of all, it is essential to plan purchases in a more organized and rational way: for example, making lists of the things you need or want to avoid whims; Delay unnecessary purchases for up to 48 hourstime that will allow you to discern if it is a passing and impulsive desire or something that you really want, and to analyze what you have already purchased to see if it has truly been used or not.
In addition, digital consumption should also be examined: eliminate shopping applications, avoid visiting online stores and reduce exposure to social networks. Experts also recommend “do not follow influencerssince they promote products and offer discounts that encourage consumption”, something that should be avoided when undergoing treatment for this problem.
Financial control and use of cash are other useful techniques. The latter because with payments with credit cards or other systems, awareness of what is really being spent is blurred.
Therapy, finding activities that bring calm and pleasure, and celebrating small achievements are also essential to get out of a loop of compulsive shopping that only contributes to increasing the problem you are trying to alleviate.
