{"id":10771,"date":"2013-08-15T09:34:41","date_gmt":"2013-08-15T09:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beyondphilosophy.com\/?p=10771"},"modified":"2019-10-16T08:32:20","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T12:32:20","slug":"does-shopping-really-make-you-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondphilosophy.com\/does-shopping-really-make-you-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Shopping Really Make You Happy?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Does<\/a>

Does Shopping Really Make You Happy?<\/p><\/div>\n

Have you ever noticed how sometimes the experience of anticipating something can be better than the experience itself? Let me give you an example. I always wanted to drive a Ford Mustang. As a boy I was enthralled with the Mustang and its power. I saw the commercials and ads in magazines that described the horsepower and speed at my disposal in this unrivalled sports car. As an adult, I decided to rent one. My anticipation was palpable; I had a big smile on my face as I walked up to the car and turned the key the first time. The engine roared to life and I took off down the road.
\n\ufeff<\/span>
\nI know this may be seen as heresy but despite the grand start to my drive, the sound and look of the car, after a while I have to admit I was a little bored. Honestly, more than bored, I was disappointed. The interior was bland and the visibility was restricted. My anticipation of being behind the wheel of this vehicle was overtaken by the reality of the experience of being in the car.<\/p>\n

I was in love with the idea of the car, not the car itself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The anticipation was a much more enjoyable experience than the experience itself.<\/p>\n

This sort of thing happens all the time. Have you even gone to a party which you really looked forward to but when you got there it was nowhere near as good as you\u2019d hoped? What about finally seeing the sequel to a movie you really enjoyed but the second film just didn\u2019t live up to the first one?<\/p>\n

Probably the place where this concept is best illustrated is in Lottery winners<\/a>. Is there a single one of us who hasn\u2019t won the lottery that believes that it wouldn\u2019t make us happier to have won it? But studies show that after winners experience the joy of winning the lottery, they are usually less happy after they win. In all the cases, including the lottery, the anticipation was a lot stronger than the car\/party\/movie\/lifetime of riches was in actuality. Wanting things at times is better than having them.<\/p>\n

Consumers Like Retail Therapy<\/h3>\n

Sometimes when we are stressed out, we decide to go shopping. People call this \u2018retail therapy\u2019. Buying things we want can make us feel less stressed and generally happier, at least for the moment.<\/p>\n

A great example of this behavior was in a recent story <\/a>on CNN\u2019s site, about a woman who had a stressful marketing job for a global tech company who enjoyed shoe shopping to relieve her stress. She talked about how deciding which shoes to buy was a way to escape \u2018the drama going on at work\u2019. As she shopped online for shoes, she described the anticipation and arrival of her shoes in the mail was like \u2018Christmas morning\u2019.<\/p>\n

This behavior isn\u2019t just for women and shoes. The retail survey conducted by Ebates<\/a>, an online shopping cash back site, published its results recently that said that over half of Americans (51.8%) bought things to improve their mood. Women were more likely to buy clothing or accessories while men were more likely to buy food. But both groups agree that the purchase was intended to cheer them up.<\/p>\n

When it comes to retail therapy, there were participants that shopped in brick and mortar stores as well as those who shopped online. Both venues provided an escape for the shoppers and both were relaxing for them but most people preferred online shopping for therapy. The online shoppers said they preferred to shop online for the following reasons, ranked in order by highest percentage of respondents:<\/p>\n