So, we’ve all been there. You unpack your purchases in expectation of a feeling of satisfaction, but instead you find that the excitement of the shopping spree has faded all too quickly and you feel empty – or even worse, if you’ve overspent, you feel GUILTY.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we know deep down that “retail therapy” doesn’t work – at best, it’s a temporary band-aid. Having more stuff simply does not make you happy, instead you end up with a cluttered home and all the problems that can cause.
Understanding the factors that influence us to spend money on material things can help us have more realistic expectations of the effect that our purchases will have and to shop more mindfully in future.
6 Reasons Why Buying Things Won’t Make You Happy
1 You are really searching for something else
One of the most important reasons why buying things won’t make you happy is that when we make unnecessary purchases or spend excessively, it is not the thing that we are buying that we are looking for – we are often searching for something else.
Whether that is an escape from our boredom, more excitement in our lives, feeling better about ourselves, increasing our self-worth, or recognition by our peers, the item we end up buying is unlikely to satisfy those feelings.
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2 Experiences, not purchases, will make you happy
Research shows that meaningful experiences, rather than buying things, is what will make us happy. New experiences allow us to challenge ourselves, learn new things, connect with other people, and gain a sense of accomplishment.
People are often mistaken about the benefits an experience will bring – they think it will be short-lived but, in reality, we tend to reflect on our experiences long after the event. Similarly, we will often enjoy the anticipation of an experience far more than the anticipation of owning something new. On the other hand, we become used to our new possessions very quickly and the novelty does not last.
3 Marketing can influence our decision to buy
We may think that we are buying things because we genuinely need or want them, but often we are buying because we have been manipulated by marketing.
The obvious and less dubious example is companies that use positive feelings to build their brand image. For example, those adverts that almost seem like entertainment (to the extent that they don’t seem to be selling anything!) and are very visually appealing, with cool music, are designed to make you feel good when watching and maybe even share with friends. This creates a positive association with the product being marketed.
Marketers know that because of the principle of social proof, customer reviews hugely influence people to buy. 70% of consumers read online reviews of products before making a purchase, word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful tool.
If you have you ever bought something and later found out that the product did not live up to a review and the opinion you relied on was not to be trusted, then you may have experienced the darker side of this trend.
Big brands are increasingly investing in sophisticated techniques such as neuromarketing, which is used to understand consumer behavior, to influence you to buy their products. So, take your time when buying – a top tip that works for me is to always sleep on a decision to make a big purchase and I often leave items in my shopping cart overnight too, just to be sure that I really want to part with my hard-earned cash.
4 Buyer’s remorse
Another reason why buying things won’t make you happy is that the mood lift it gives you is usually short-lived and it can be closely followed by negative feelings. People often feel guilty about shopping, sometimes concealing their purchases from friends or family to avoid having to deal with their negative reactions or accusations of overspending.
Buyer’s remorse is the more extreme version of this behavior and describes a feeling of regret or uncertainty after making certain purchases. It may be more likely where making a significant purchase that hasn’t been fully considered, or if you have high expectations of the product that it does not live up to.
5 Buying past the point of return
Maybe you’ve found yourself in the following situation before? You plan a break away with friends with the intention of incorporating a huge shopping trip. You have a great time catching up with friends but literally cannot find a single thing you’d like to buy. Because you have already invested so much time, effort and money, you buy loads of clothes you don’t really like (or need).
This feeling of “well, I’ve come this far, so there’s no point stopping now” is known as a sunk cost fallacy in economics – my post explains how this can also lead to decluttering guilt. It’s when you’ve invested in something which hasn’t worked out the way you envisaged, but you don’t want to pull out because you feel you’re committed to going through with it.
6 Running up Debts
Making excessive unnecessary purchases can lead us into debt. Consumer debt is at an all-time high in the United States as the costs of living soars. The New York Fed reported recently that credit card delinquencies surged more than 50% in 2023.
Online shopping has made it so easy to buy – you can click through social media feeds whenever you see something you like and then apps like Apple Pay make it possible to purchase in a number of seconds. However, if we cannot afford the purchases we are making, because our means are limited or we are in debt, then buying things only serves to cause stress and anxiety. This post looks at ideas for how to save money by following a minimalist approach to your finances.
Final Thoughts
These 6 reasons why buying things won’t make you happy explain the feelings that are commonly experienced after making unnecessary or excessive purchases. Our expectations are often so high that disappointment is inevitable. By understanding some of the processes that influence our shopping behavior, hopefully, we can be aware of our decision making, and purchase more mindfully.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post about the reasons why buying things won’t make you happy. Feel free to pin and share this article, and come back soon to discover the latest posts!