Shopping Therapy: An Effective Remedy for Feeling Down

Shopping therapy may help soften a number of negative emotions. That is the conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan among a group of female students. The researchers found that, above all, the decision to actually make a purchase can restore a sense of control and help counter feelings of sadness.

According to the scientists, there are certainly other situations that may also help people regain control and re-establish the ability to make choices. However, they point out that a shopping environment is often more accessible than many other circumstances in everyday life.

The power of making a decision

The study suggests that the key benefit does not necessarily lie in owning the product itself, but in the act of choosing. Making a purchase decision appears to provide psychological relief because it reinforces the idea that a person can still influence outcomes and take action, even when they feel down.

Even an imagined purchase can have a positive effect

Interestingly, the researchers also discovered that even an imagined purchase may have a beneficial impact on mood.

After showing participants a video about bullying, 44% of the female students decided to accept an offer to buy a snack. Researchers Scott Rick and Katherine Burson, both marketing professors at the University of Michigan, noted that this group felt less down at the end of the experiment than those who chose not to buy a snack.

“Many people look down on shopping as a form of comfort behavior,” the researchers explain, “but until now, no one has truly examined whether buying something as small as a snack helps reduce negative feelings.”

When it does not work: anger and certain emotions

The effect does not seem to apply to all emotional states. For example, when participants experienced emotions such as anger, the same improvement was not observed. This indicates that shopping may be particularly linked to sadness and feelings of low control, rather than serving as a universal emotional solution.

Why choice matters

Rick and Burson also found that a similar “healing” effect can happen with purely imaginary shopping choices.

In one part of the experiment, participants watched a film about a child whose mentor had died. Afterwards, they were asked to imagine spending $100 by placing products into an online shopping cart. These participants reported feeling less sad than others who were only asked to judge whether those same products would be useful items to take on a trip.

Since not all products are equally suitable for travel, the imagined shoppers had more freedom to choose, which, according to the researchers, likely helped them process sadness more easily.

Conclusion

The research supports the idea that the ability to choose and take action, even in small ways, can help reduce feelings of sadness. Shopping—whether real or imagined—may provide a temporary emotional lift by restoring a sense of control and autonomy.