Retail therapy is one of those things that shoppers have always agreed exists, but the experts? Um, not necessarily. Now, new information from Arizona State University is ready to delight shopaholics everywhere, suggesting that you can actually make yourself feel better by shopping after a bad day or tough rejection. But there are caveats: You need to buy the right thing in order to benefit from the feel-good power. Specifically, avoid purchasing anything that might remind you of whatever ache you’re trying to find a salve for.
“You have to improve what you are not good on, and just buying products that signal certain desired traits will not be enough,” explained Monika Lisjak, assistant professor of marketing at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business. Translation? If you’re bummed about not getting a raise at work, hitting the shops and splashing out on a new, polished dress for the office is likely to make you feel worse, not better, since it’ll remind you of the issue that got you to take out your credit card in the first place.
Lisjak’s work found that if a shopper did buy something that related to the area that was upsetting her, she’d actually feel worse and see her subsequent behavior affected. Conversely, if the retail therapy was for an irrelevant item (say, a new bag or pair of shoes), the subject would feel and perform better.
So, next time you’re feeling burned out by work, go for a new pair of jeans or workout clothes—in other words, something completely inappropriate for the office. Winter blues bringing you down? There’s a new spring look with your name on it.
Source: glamour.com
