Science is now discovering what many consumers have know all along: Shopping makes you feel good.
A growing body of brain research shows how shopping activates key areas of the brain, boosting our mood and making us feel better--at least for a little while. Peering into a decorated holiday window or finding a hard-to-find toy appears to tap into the brain's reward center, triggering the release of brain chemicals that give you a "shopping high."
Understanding the way your brain responds to shopping can help you make sense of the highs and lows of holiday shopping. Indiana University professor Ruth Engs, who studies shopping addiction, provides some dos and don'ts to help people make better shopping decisions:
Buy only the items on your shopping list to avoid impulse purchases.
Window shop after stores have closed or when you've left your wallet at home.
Don't shop when you're visiting friends or relatives. The added novelty of shopping in a new place puts you at higher risk of buying something you don't need.
Source: Health Journal by Tara Parker-Pope, The Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2005