Shopping is therapeutic...

Feeling sad? Then hit the shops... it really works! Buying something makes people three times happier!!!

Researchers found shopping makes a person feel more in control of life

Reflecting on recent purchases combats sadness and sparks motivation

Spree: Scientists found new purchases combat sadness and spark motivation

It is the news that will strike fear into the hearts of those who pay off the family credit cards every month.

New research has found that retail therapy - far from being empty and superficial - can be an ‘effective way to minimize sadness.’

It can even help a person feel more in control of their environment, researchers claim.

Generations of consumers have been urged to satisfy their desire to keep abreast of the latest fashion by simply browsing in store and window shopping.

But researchers from the University of Michigan claim ‘retail therapy’ should no longer be dismissed as it could help people overcome melancholy.

The study carried out three experiments to investigate whether shopping restored a sense of control in people to combat feelings of sadness.

The research found that buying something was up to 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and they were three times happier than those who only browsed.

Previous studies have shown that shoppers enjoy positive feelings when reflecting on their most recent purchase, when that shopping had been motivated by a desire to repair mood.

 Others said they were less likely to experience sadness while shopping than immediately before setting out on a buying spree.

The researchers at the University of Michigan question whether shopping is merely a distraction from distress

Reflecting on purchases helps people feel better about themselves!

However, researchers said until now it had remained unclear whether shopping conveys benefits beyond those produced merely by distraction, or the passage of time.

They said: ‘Our work suggests that making shopping choices can help to restore a sense of personal control over one’s environment and reduce sadness.

'Retail therapy - shopping that is motivated by distress - is often said to be ineffective, wasteful and a dark side of consumer behavior, but we propose that retail therapy has been viewed too negatively, and that shopping may be an effective way to minimize sadness.' 

We’ll be waiting for you here at Vintage & Charmed Classic Clothing to come and get your Retail Therapy on!!!  We are here to make you feel happier and to make you look ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!

“So come and let Vintage & Charmed Style Your Life so you can feel better!!!”

1231 Good Hope Road, SE, Washington, DC  20020 (202) 770-8303 

Inside the Anacostia Arts Center

Quoted from ("http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Nick+Fagge" by Nick Fagge )