Why We Tend to Want to Buy Less When We Are Happy - Behind Instant Gratification

Have you ever reflected on whether we crave shopping more when our lives fill less fulfilling? I definitely have. And then I decided to look into it deeper, and this proved to be rather factual.

So, why does this happen? There are a few possible reasons that I explore in my book High on Life - Not on Stuff. Here are some of them.

1. We often use consumerism as an attempt to fill a void. When something is missing and it feels uncomfortable, it is much easier in the moment to go for instant gratification than take time and put effort into finding the real reason and solution.

2. We often buy unnecessary items in an attempt to substitute something else. We subconsciously look for shortcuts where there are no shortcuts. For example, instead of getting ourselves in a better shape, physically, mentally or emotionally, which takes time and effort, we buy ourselves new outfits, purses, or other objects that we associate with a better version of ourselves, which we are actually yet to achieve. We then see that these items did not make any change in our life and get disappointed. We also often look for shortcuts as it comes to our hobbies by buying fancier equipment for them instead of working on improving our skills as such.

3. We often seek more instant gratification when we are in a bad mood, feeling unwell, stressed, or insecure. Instant gratification comes in many shapes and forms, including excessive activities like shopping, gaming, ridiculous amounts of screentime, partying, alcohol or substance consumption. These, in turn, do not make our lives better, but do the opposite by compromising our health, relationships, finances, and more.

4. Our limbic system responsible for survival and partially for reward perception goes against our logical brain and demands gratification in the here and now regardless of long-term consequences. The happier you are overall, the less gratification-hungry your limbic system is and the less it pushes you towards impulsive addictive behaviors.

   We are tricked into excessive consumerism every day and at each corner. What are other reasons and scenarios and how do we stop wanting to buy unnecessarily? We could then not only save ourselves money, but also time, which our most precious asset, and find more fulfilling ways to live our lives. If you are interested in diving deeper, check out High on Life Not on Stuff: How to Stop Buying Things You Don't Need where research is combined with self reflection, storytelling and humor. It might help you save quite a few dollars, quite a few hours, and some stress.

Do you agree with these? Do you not? Let me know. I am genuinely interested in your opinion, since this is a topic that we can keep looking deeper and deeper into and where there is no limit to learning something new.