Hi everyone, Shalom Aleichem!
Good evening GanSist everyone! 
Welcome back to the Superwoman Series, a series that discusses how women can become strong individuals physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. In several previous series, we have discussed the various impacts of shopping addiction.
In this discussion, we will look at shopping addiction from a slightly different perspective. Many people think that the main impact of a shopping addiction is simply money running out quickly. In fact, the losses are much deeper than just a thinning wallet.
Every habit that is done repeatedly is actually “feeding” a pattern within us. If someone reads diligently, he is feeding his curiosity and thinking ability. If someone exercises diligently, he is feeding his discipline and fighting power.
On the other hand, when a person continually indulges in uncontrollable shopping urges, there are some traits that slowly grow larger. These traits can ultimately affect a person’s quality of life, social relationships, and even their ability to develop.
As part of Superwoman Series106th, let’s discuss 4 things that are actually continuously “fed” when someone is trapped in a shopping addiction.
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1. Hedonism
The first thing that shopping addiction continues to strengthen is hedonism, namely the tendency to make pleasure the main goal in life.
Basically, seeking pleasure is not something wrong. It’s normal to enjoy delicious food, buy something you need, or give yourself a gift.
Problems arise when momentary pleasure becomes the center of life. In compulsive buying behavior, a person often experiences feelings of joy, enthusiasm, or relief when buying something. However, these feelings usually only last for a short time. After that, the desire arises to buy other items again. Over time, a person begins to get used to seeking escape through instant pleasure.
As a result, activities that require a long process such as learning a new art, saving money, exercising, and developing yourself start to feel less interesting than the sensation of acquiring new things.
Research on materialism shows that a life orientation that focuses too much on material possessions is associated with lower levels of life satisfaction and poorer psychological well-being. Ironically, the more a person pursues pleasure through excessive consumption, the more difficult it is for him to feel satisfied.
A Superwoman understands that true happiness is not built solely on the possessions, but on the meaning of life, healthy relationships, and the ability to grow.
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2. Laziness
Shopping addiction can also “feed” laziness. Why is that? Because, many products are sold with very attractive promises, such as being beautiful without effort, being healthy without exercising, being slim without adjusting your diet, and being successful without a long process. Messages like this make some people start to believe that almost any problem can be solved by buying something.
In fact, most changes in life require discipline, persistence, patience and consistency. When someone is used to looking for instant solutions through purchases, motivation to go through the actual process can decrease.
For example, a person may be more enthusiastic about buying medication than establishing good sleep habits or exercising regularly.
Over time, this habit can hinder personal development. Not because the person doesn’t have the ability, but because he is used to looking for shortcuts.
In fact, one of the characteristics of a strong woman is the courage to go through the process, even though the process is not always comfortable and does not provide instant results.
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3. Cowardice
The term “coward” in this discussion is not an insult, but rather a description of the tendency to continue to avoid the discomforts of life.
Life isn’t always fun. There are times when a person’s body is not fit, sad, disappointed, afraid, tired, feels like a failure. However, the ability to deal with emotions and difficulties is an important part of psychological maturity.
Shopping addiction can turn into a form of escapism. Whenever facing a problem, a person feels more comfortable opening a shopping app than facing the source of the problem. When you’re not feeling well, go shopping. When you’re bored, go shopping. When angry, go back to shopping. Over time, the ability to deal with life’s discomforts becomes less developed. A person panics more easily and has more difficulty accepting the fact that life is full of uncertainty.
In fact, mental toughness is not built by hiding from problems, but by learning to face problems gradually and healthily.
A Superwoman is not a woman who is never afraid. A super woman is a woman who keeps moving forward despite the fear.
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4. Impulsivity
The final thing that shopping addiction continues to strengthen is impulsivity, namely the tendency to act without careful consideration.
One of the main characteristics of compulsive buying behavior is difficulty controlling the urge to buy something. When you see big discounts, new products, limited offers, and attractive promotions, there will be a strong desire to buy immediately.
If this behavior continues to be repeated, the brain becomes accustomed to making decisions quickly without considering the consequences.
In fact, the ability to delay gratification and consider long-term impacts is an important part of self-control.
Research in psychology shows that self-control is linked to a variety of positive outcomes in life, including health, social relationships, and financial stability.
On the other hand, high impulsivity can increase the risk of accumulating debt, family conflict, regret after buying, and psychological stress. Small habits that seem trivial can form larger patterns of behavior.
If a person continues to obey every urge that arises, the ability to control oneself can become increasingly weakened.
Therefore, learning to say “no” to unnecessary buying urges is actually an important exercise for mental strength.
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CLOSURE
Shopping addiction is not just a problem of excessive spending. Every time someone indulges in unhealthy shopping urges, there are several traits that slowly grow stronger, namely:
1) Hedonism, because momentary pleasure is the center of life
2) Laziness, because you are used to looking for instant solutions
3) Cowardice, because it makes shopping an escape from life’s problems
4) Impulsivity, because it becomes increasingly difficult to control momentary desires
As part of Superwoman Series #106, there is one message to remember, that what we do every day will shape us little by little.
If we continue to feed impulsivity, it will grow. If we continue to feed discipline, discipline will grow. If we keep feeding courage, it will grow.
Therefore, a Superwoman doesn’t just ask, “What do you want to buy today?”. Strong women also ask “What qualities are you maintaining through your own habits?”
Because, in the end, a woman’s true strength is not measured by the number of things she owns, but by the attitude she develops every day.
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SOURCE
One Hundred Percent Male Y*ut*be Account (but adapted to a female style)
Black, D. W. (2007). Compulsive buying disorder: A review of the evidence. CNS Spectrums, 12(2)124–132.
Dittmar, H. (2005). Compulsive buying—A growing concern? An examination of gender, age, and endorsement of materialistic values as predictors. British Journal of Psychology, 96(4)467–491.
Duckworth, A. L. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Kasser, T. (2016). The high price of materialism(2nd ed.). MIT Press.
Roberts, J. A., & Jones, E. (2001). Money attitudes, credit card use, and compulsive buying among American college students. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35(2)213–240.
Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72(2)271–324.
World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and well-being. World Health Organization.
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