你有过这样的体验吗？压力大的时候，逛逛超市，刷刷网店，下单一堆必需品和非必需品，这才总算舒坦了。

 

密歇根大学2021年的一项研究显示，购物可以满足人的控制欲，缓解压力的效果是只看不买的40倍，减轻悲伤的效果是其3倍。

According to a study done by University of Michigan researchers, shopping to relieve stress was up to 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and that shoppers were three times less sad compared to those that only browsed¹ for items.

 

购物减压有多普遍

 

据华盛顿邮报报道，2017年，美国最大金融导流平台Credit Karma对1000多名消费者展开调查。超过半数受访者表示，曾通过冲动消费来缓解压力、焦虑或抑郁，23%的受访者有过刷爆信用卡的体验。

More than half of the 1,000 consumers polled by Credit Karma said they have impulsively² shopped to deal with feelings of stress, anxiety or depression. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they've maxed out a credit card in the past year.

 

从年龄来看，68%的千禧一代体验过冲动消费，而X世代和婴儿潮一代分别只有53%和26%的人会通过购物减压。

Millennials, 68 percent, responded by saying they have stress spent in the past, compared to 53 percent of Gen Xers and only 26 percent of baby boomers.

 

从性别来看，48%的男性和31%的女性冲动消费者表示，在压力大的时候会选择买酒；82%的女性和52%的男性选择买衣服；42%的女性和22%的男性选择买珠宝；而44%的男性和30%的女性选择买电子产品。

In regards to genders³, 48 percent of men and 31 percent of women who have stress spent said they had purchased alcohol when stressed. Eighty-two percent of women stress spent on clothing compared to 52 percent of men. Women also lead stress spending for jewellery, 42 percent, compared to 22 percent for men with men stress spending more for electronics 44 percent versus⁴ 30 percent for women.

 

为何购物可以减压

 

医学表明，买买买可以降低血压，维护身心健康。早在上世纪80年代，《芝加哥论坛报》首次半开玩笑地将这种为了调整情绪或精神状态而进行的购物行为命名为“购物疗法”。

In fact, shopping to reduce stress can actually help you live a healthier life by making sure that your blood pressure is lowered. Shopping to relieve stress is also called retail⁵ therapy as a form of regulating stress.

 

Credit Karma的调查显示，82%的冲动消费者并不后悔，甚至很长一段时间内都保有极佳的消费体验感。

The survey found that that 82 percent had only positive feelings about their purchases and that the positive mood boost that followed those purchases was long-lasting.

 

如何避免冲动消费

 

然而，对于多数人而言，购物疗法存在副作用，刚开始看似无害，久而久之也许会发展为消耗金钱、引发冲突的强迫心理，从而带来更大的生活压力。

However, the side effect of retail therapy, for many, can start out as a relatively⁶ harmless mood booster but could possibly grow into a compulsion that drains finances, causes conflict, and thereby⁷ adding a significant amount of stress to a person's life.

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