What is meant by Addiction? 

The need or strong desire to do or to have something,  

We have seen people have been addicted to various things which change from time to time. The most recent addiction caught up for most of us knowingly or unknowingly which creates trouble for individuals as well as the environment is “BUYING”. 

What Buying?! 

Yes, you read it right. Buying is the new addiction.  

Moments of Truth

Today, people started buying things for luxury over need. In modern days the buying power of common men has increased enormously, which is good but the problem arises when we buy things that we don't really need or when we buy things that we cannot afford but still end up buying just to fuel our desires or to fulfill the society’s view or to eyewash others. This is medically called Onimania and more famously known as shopaholism. 

Buying or owning something has become a pride element, a social status, a point to talk on with others, etc.,(and this list continues). Are you someone who buys things to cheer yourself up or to reward yourself, whether or not you need or could afford them? Are you angry, hurt, or upset when you stop yourself from buying something you feel like buying without even thinking "Is this a need or desire?" If your answer is desire then you realize that you simply want to buy, then it's time for self-introspection.

How did it all start? 

To answer this question, we'll have to travel back to the 18th century! Period of science and technology, Period of The Industrial Revolution. Goods that had once been painstakingly crafted by hand started to be produced in mass quantities by machines in factories, thanks to the introduction of new machines and techniques. Industrialists understood that the more things they manufacture the more needs to be the buying force of people and that thought gave birth to advertisements! People were shown products with various options and price ranges that were not available before industrialization which fueled their desire to get them. Today manufacturing and advertising industries have grown more than imaginable and people started to buy things for luxury rather than for need. “An idiot can sell anything to anyone on the internet.” - Jeff Bezos

Just pure desire

Shopping has never been easier, we no longer have to go to a store during limited hours, stalk the aisles looking for a product, and then wait in checkout lines. Now with the click of a button, we have the freedom to shop for anything, anywhere, and at any time. Products are cheaper than ever ( thanks to our increased affordability levels) and choices are plenty. There is this number game called offers and discounts that encourages us to buy things without a second thought. 

“I think the core issue is that people look at shopping as an activity, like going to the amusement park or going to the movies. When I was younger and my friends would ask me if I wanted to go shopping, I’d be like ‘I don’t have anything to buy’, then I realized they went to the mall hoping to FIND something to buy. This is mind-boggling to me.” 

Psychologists say that “You get a dopamine hit when you shop for something, it's a kind of pleasure similar to what we experience from drugs”. When asked random people if they have things at home that were never used, 90% of them agreed that they have at least one or two items at their home that were never used.

“I once had a patient who had one bedroom of her apartment filled with clothes that were never worn. She had the urge to buy, and buy excessively, and she was unable to fight it. It got her into significant financial debt. She was quite distressed about it.” says Peggy Richter, a psychiatrist and the director of Sunnybrook Health Services Centre. 

An average person today buys about 50% more clothes than what was bought 20 years ago. Where do all these clothes go? Well, a lot of it becomes clutter in our ever-expanding homes and eventually ends up as a landfill. 

Luxury Vs Need

What is Need?

Something we must have

What is Luxury?

Something enjoyable and expensive that you do not really need.

Now often when addressing this issue one thing that people always ask is “How do we differentiate need and desire? When I see something I think I need that and I plan my finances to get it! Is it not healthy? No, it is not healthy! Though we plan our finances and conclude that we could eventually afford it or manage our day-to-day expenses even after buying it, this habit zeros out on other huger impacts like an environmental catastrophe. 

For example, shoes are footwear that protects our feet and helps us walk comfortably. But today shoes are a symbol of fashion and luxury! 

Words in a recent article by a famous footwear brand prove it by writing “The 7-shoes-for-7-days recommendation is now old fashioned. Today, beyond this basic rule, what should determine your collection of shoes is your wardrobe, the season, and the occasion. Loafers for the spring, boots for the winter, Derbies or Oxfords at the office, etc”. Think of all the pollution that comes out while manufacturing a pair of shoes for it to be bought and used once and thrown away to end up as a landfill. A 2021 study by shop smart found that an average woman owns 12 pairs of shoes. We call this Luxury! 

Way Forward 

Where does all this leave us? The movie Wall-E predicted a bleak future where humans filled the planet with so much trash that we had to abandon it for another. 

But is this the solution? 

No? 

We’ll have to reverse this trend by taking part in growing movements like zero waste household or capsule wardrobes or a year-of-no-shopping or minimalism. We should also use our buying power to encourage companies with sustainable products and help people in need. We must win the battle of making the right choice of buying in line with what is our choice, is it a need vs luxury? If we still want to buy then it is better to use our buying power to offer to others who are needy.

We must realize that the happiness of giving is more than the happiness of buying. A study by Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton and colleagues found that giving things to someone else lifted participants' happiness more than spending it on themselves. 

As per psychologists, before buying anything it’s time to ask ourselves a few questions to answer in writing. Questions are as follows: 

1. How do I feel? 
2. Do I need this? 
3. What if I wait?
4.  How will I pay for it?
5.  Where will I put it? 
6. Should I buy it for someone in need or just to show my ability of gifting?

All of us should have concrete answers to these questions before buying things to make a more mindful decision that is good for us as well as the environment. Applying a conscious filter and pausing before buying is very much required to avoid being a victim of circumstance in terms of buying. On the other side if we still want to proceed with the BUYING to fulfill our desire, let's buy and give it to the needy so that we have a double delight experience.

Hope you like the article, looking forward to your views and thoughts on this….

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