What is behind compulsive shopping on Black Friday

What is behind compulsive shopping on Black Friday

Psychology

Psychologists recommend responsible consumption, especially at Christmas and Black Friday and warn that impulsive and continuous acquisition can generate addictive patterns

Black Friday: The best deals from Amazon, Zara, El Corte Inglés and Media Markt live

With Christmas shopping just around the corner and already immersed in the effect of Black Friday, psychologists recommend responsible consumption and warn that the impulsive and continuous acquisition of products can end generating addictive patterns regarding purchases. For some time now, the last Friday of November has been marked on the calendar as an “aperitif” to get branded products at a lower price. “The discounts affect us psychologically, since the expectations of obtaining a compensate (purchase a desired product for a lower price) motivate the purchase by the short term pleasure that generates this gratification ”, says Candela Molina Gutiérrez, general health psychologist and coordinator of Cepsim Av. de América.

La addiction to purchases is not officially recognized as a Mental illness. This means that, although this expression is often used in informal settings or even in the context of psychotherapy, it would not be used as an officially recognized diagnostic label, since it is not contemplated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , last updated in 2013 and which is the main tool used in clinical psychology to establish official diagnoses. Currently there is not enough scientific evidence to establish an agreement around the so-called “addiction to drugs. purchases», So this does not exist as a clearly diagnosable and describable mental disorder. «Something similar happens with the sex addiction or exercise, which are included within the groups of repetitive behaviors, which some qualify as behavioral addictions “, say the psychologists of ifeel, application of psychologists which offers online therapy and provides its users with an emotional diary.

El Black Friday, translated into Spanish as Black Friday, inaugurates the season of Christmas shopping. It is difficult to escape temptation when advertising and the media make a general call to consumerism and we are bombarded by advertisements from companies that collect deals, added to the numerous “influencers” who motivate us to make numerous purchases. That is why this environment can activate great anxiety in people who have difficulty controlling their impulse to buy or in those who are aware of the gratification they get from shopping. “There are consumers that, both in the Black Friday as in sales, they tend to buy compulsively, while others make a premeditated study of the product or products they want to obtain and wait for the most suitable day to acquire them “, says Beatriz Gil Torres, an expert addiction therapist at El prado Psicólogos.

What’s behind a compulsive shopper

Compulsive purchases respond to a process of addiction, whereby any normal behavior that is pleasant, be it gambling, sex or food, for example, is liable to become addictive when used abnormally. “Shopping becomes compulsive when items are purchased repeatedly and constantly, investing large amounts of money that can cause damage to the family economy or personal ”, warns psychologist Candela Molina Gutiérrez.

“I deserve it …” Watch out!

Imagine that moment in which you have achieved something, you have worked hard to achieve positive results and suddenly you are struck by a feeling of satisfaction that makes you think that, since you have achieved the goal, you deserve a reward. How do you react? Surely you make yourself a self gift, no? “I have earned it” or “I deserve it” are messages that increase satisfaction and pride in ourselves, and we reward ourselves with the material for achievements that surely have nothing to do with the material (a promotion, fulfillment of goals, etc. .). These phrases make us live that acquisition as something more important, valuable and necessary than it really is. As if We would attribute our own successes so we give a value that it does not intrinsically have “, alerts the professional Molina Gutiérrez.

And the feeling of guilt arrived …

The psychologists Candela Molina Gutiérrez and Beatriz Gil Torres coincide in highlighting the feeling of guilt of these users after the massive purchase of products that at first they feel as necessary. «After that immediate pleasure that comes from shopping, a feeling of guilt or remorse, which generates discomfort and anguish and prompts to buy again to alleviate said discomfort and unpleasant emotions. This type of people buy when they feel sad, lonely, angry … And it is difficult for them to make plans that do not include the purchases», Says Candela Molina. «This serious problem affects 11% of the population and must be tackled with the necessary psychological help. Compulsive buying is not synonymous with wasting money unconsciously, but there is a complex symptom behind that must be resolved, ”says Beatriz Gil Torres.