Friday 3 July 2009

Shopping Therapy - why shopping makes us happier...

Having experienced the Joy of fluently picking out a couple of trousers, a shirt, and a matching brown belt, and Learning that all were discounted at nearly 50%, I had my 'Time-In' at the counter signing off the purchase....

...On a historic day celebrating 12 years since Chris Patten (the last Governor of Hong Kong) handed the HK flag back to China, I found myself pleasantly Surprised by the special discounts, and further discounts by the very fact the date was 1 July 2009, on offer by the rather stylish, REISS fashion store - ironically, British, well I would like to think so anyway, given its tasteful cuts seem to be most popular in London than any other sleek city.

Why the sudden Joy? Some more classically trained psychologists would explain my happiness was driven by my perception of the fact shopping should always make me happy, although we all know shopping, more often than not, can also be frustrating, tiring, unmemorable, and at times, bring Mixed Emotions. A better line of thought to explain my Joy would perhaps be my Cognitive labelling, i.e., biologically speaking, the Neurotransmitters fizzing across synapses in my brain's sub-cortical structure, of the whole shopping experience as a 'good one'? Stimulated by the clothes, the shop environment in REISS, or indeed by the discounts, or if I was that patriotic, the 12 year anniversary. However all these External factors do not seem that critical in making me feel happy, that is to say, I've been in many other stores, more stimulating in decor and content than this one, and buying much more without necessarily giving me the same Joy. Thus, a more contemporary to think about this whole experience would involve a Cognitive appraisal of my time spent in the store, admiring the way the cleverly angled mirrors never fail to flatter your body lines, and my Behavioural instinctiveness of getting pricey items at a bargain. All of this, giving me the Joy...

...once my 'Time-In' was over and zoned back into reality, the thought that I have just borrowed more debt the day after paying off my previous balance, fuelled a faint sense of apprehension and Anxiety. Maybe shopping can best be described as a blend of innate behaviours, from Joy and Surprise, to eventually transpired Anxiety under typical circumstances. To be hyperbolic, shopping therapy could be an emotional rollercoaster, giving you high and low points, an Adaptive and Evolving Value experience...

Links:
www.reiss.co.uk (the domain affirms my impression that this store is British)

http://www.synovate.com/news/article/2007/02/synovate-survey-shows-hongkongers-indifferent-to-handover-anniversary.html?request_locale=zh_CN