SHOPPING TO BE HAPPY?

They don’t call it retail therapy for nothing. Shopping can actually make you happy, a study has found.

Treating yourself to something nice at the shops apparently has a ‘lasting positive impact on mood’ and leaves ‘few if any negative emotional side-effects’. It is a find that will prompt a sigh of relief from ailing retailers. Researchers conducted hundreds of interviews at shopping centers requesting shoppers to keep diaries of their shopping behavior, moods and buys they regretted. The study which was published in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing in the U.S. concluded: ‘Retail therapy purchases were overwhelmingly beneficial, leading to mood boosts and no regrets or guilt.’

The authors of the study, Retail therapy: A strategic effort to improve mood, said retailers could learn from the findings. They added “There seem to be positive consequences to buying oneself a small treat, one does feel better.” The study did sound a cautionary note, saying that findings should be interpreted with care because the survey was ‘self-selecting’, because participants in a good mood were more likely to respond. Only one of those interviewed regretted splurging. Could it have been Keira Knightley? The actress told recently of her guilt at splashing out £2,795 on a Burberry sheepskin coat!!
All women love shopping is an undisputable fact. What is lesser known is most also feel pangs of guilt after indulging in the sport called shopping. This guilt may not last long though, and the next sale sign may be equally tempting, but who can deny women make a house a home and hence can be allowed some vanity and freedom. Freedom to spend is also one of them. It is a woman’s touch and taste that makes a house a home after all. So next time a guest praises your tapestry, wall painting or crockery take pride in the taste of your lady and do remember to thank her for her shopping sprees!