According to Psychology Today, many activities in normal life trigger increases in serotonin, such as; sunshine, playing with a dog or pet, exercising, and many other experiences; shopping has the same effect.
Therefore many are so intrigued by shopping and the good feelings that come from it.
When it comes to online shopping – which has become a major trend across the globe – Amazon is the most visited shopping site in 15 countries around the world, including UK, India, France, and the USA.
In addition, Alex Korb stateed in Psychology Today, that shopping involves ‘hunting’ for things, whether it’s something for yourself or a gift to someone else.
‘’Giving tends also to boost serotonin.
“Gift-giving brings us the delight we feel in seeing that we have given someone else delight,’’ said Korb.
During the pandemic there has been a spike in online shopping, considering the fact that the majority of us spent our time in our homes.
Therefore, many just stuck to the routine of shopping online.
In addition, the impact of shopping and serotonin's may be circular. ‘’The more we acquire something new, the more we feel joyful.
“At the same time, feeling joyful may trigger an impulse to do more of what feels good, creating a vicious cycle of feeling good, shopping, feeling good at even higher levels of intensity, more shopping, etc,’’ added Korb. Hence why too much of a good thing can become bad.
It’s important to be aware of excessive shopping, and that goes for anything considered addictive.