We ARE a nation of shopaholics!
Amazing! A study suggests that one in six of us British women love shopping to the point of it being an addiction - and many of us are totting up thousands of pounds in debt, on our credit cards.
I remember recently talking to the famous anthropologist and author of The Naked Ape, Desmond Morris, about this. He says it's entirely normal and natural for us humans to love shopping - because we animals are programmed to feel better if we are securely surrounded by the things we need in life. Rather like a squirrel with a huge hoard of acorns, we feel happier if we have lots of "stuff". I suppose the only thing that's different between us and them is our values! Nowadays we love to buy things we can't afford!
I used to love popping to New York for the weekend, particularly to do a bit of Christmas shopping! If you think that's extravagant, then how about Emma, from Caversham, who spoke to me this morning about how she loves to buy cushions - some for the summer months, and other for the winter decor! Or Mary, from Reading, who pops to Barcelona to buy boots!
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Comment number 1.
At 13:50 26th Aug 2010, BluesBerry wrote:I sure know a lot of people who like to shop, but I'm not one!
Like alcohol, I consider this "shopping" a problem only if your closet is overflowing with clothing that you never wear or your garage is bulging with boxes of products that you never use.
Like any addiction, the problem occurs when you don’t control the action; rather, the action controls you.
In western society the temptation is always there; it's called advertising - TV, radio, billboards, window displays...
Let’s face it, when we talk about shopaholics, we often smile. “Shop 'til you drop.” is more or less a complement.
There's a book by April Benson, Psychologist entitled: "I Shop Therefore I Am: Compulsive Buying and the Search for Self".
She speaks of severe problems like
- neglect of children
- break-up of marriages and
- getting fired for Internet shopping at work.
Shopping obsessively is an obsessive-compulsive disorder; an impulse control disorder. All impulse conmtrol disorders are signs of a substitute behavior that pops up to counteract some frightening or upsetting thought about who you are. e.g. If you think you are basically dirty, you might wash your hands compulsively.
There are some famous shopaholics: Marie Antoinette (who really lost her head), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Princess Diana.
Men tend to call themselves “collectors”.
Only women are labelled shopaholics.
Some shoppers shop out of loneliness, others for the thrill, but most to fulfill some empty space inside themselves. Some seek greater self-esteem, others use it to battle mood swings.
Shopping is normal; shopping till you drop is seriously abnormal.
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