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Life
Why do we feel the urge to buy things we don’t need on Black Friday? An expert explains
By Lauren Geall
Updated 4 months ago
7 min read
Do you struggle to resist the Black Friday sales? An expert explains why you feel the urge to shop (and how to resist it) and reveals the hormonal impact of a shopping spree.
If you’ve been online at all over the last couple of weeks, you’ll no doubt have seen the influx of adverts, emails and social media posts shouting all about Black Friday. It’s hard to ignore, no matter how hard you try to block it out. And as such, many of us find ourselves feeling the need to shop (even if we don’t actually need anything).
At a time when the cost of living crisis is adding to our financial strain, and many of us are trying to reduce the amount we buy and consume, giving in to the pressure to shop the Black Friday sales isn’t exactly the goal. So, why do the Black Friday sales feel so irresistible, and is there a way to stop ourselves from falling into the shopping trap?
According to Dr Emma Hepburn, a clinical psychologist and author of the upcoming book A Toolkit For Your Emotions: 45 Ways To Feel Better, the reason why shopping in the Black Friday sales is so tempting is because these kinds of deals tap into the way our minds work.
“The build-up to Black Friday means we are anticipating reward, and on the lookout for ways to satisfy that anticipation,” Dr Hepburn explains. “Our reward system is more activated by anticipation than the reward itself, so the build-up and associated anticipation we experience means we are more likely to hit buy when we see the items that we feel will give us that reward.”
She continues: “As it’s over a short period, we don’t have the come down that often occurs after receiving the item (these things are often not as rewarding as we anticipated), so we may buy several things over the timeframe in anticipation of that reward.”
Credit: Getty
The messaging surrounding the Black Friday sales also taps into the psychology of scarcity, which increases the pressure we feel to buy when things are on offer.
“If we think items are scarce, we are more likely to place a higher value on them, which means we will covet them more and more likely to feel there are benefits to buying then,” Dr Hepburn adds.
Additionally, experts are even saying that Black Friday messaging can affect our physical health, particularly our hormones.
How does Black Friday impact our hormones?
If you’re thinking this sounds a little far-fetched, hear us out. With Google Trends reporting a 717% spike in searches around ‘Black Friday and stress on hormones’ over the past 30 days, it’s clear the experts are onto something, but how is the biggest shopping day of the year really impacting our hormones?
“Black Friday can trigger significant stress and excitement, leading to both physical and mental impacts, particularly on our hormones,” explains Mike Kocsis, hormone expert at Balance My Hormones. “From cortisol to oxytocin, the hormonal impact of Black Friday stress highlights the importance of mindful shopping and stress management more generally.”
Let’s dig into the details.
1. Cortisol
The anticipation of Black Friday and our social feeds being flooded with deals can send our stress hormone, cortisol, into overdrive. “As shoppers plan and strategise for sales, their bodies prepare for ‘battle’ by heightening alertness and ramping up cortisol production,” says Kocsis. “This can result in racing thoughts, restlessness and even sleepless nights in the days leading up to the big event. While cortisol’s role is to keep you sharp and ready for action, sustained levels can lead to anxiety, irritability and fatigue.”
2. Adrenaline
When it’s time to enter the online or in-store fray, adrenaline takes centre stage. “This hormone triggers your body’s fight-or-flight response, flooding your system with energy and heightening your senses for immediate action,” explains Kocsis. “Whether it’s the rush of clicking ‘add to basket’ before the deal vanishes or navigating a chaotic store, the adrenaline rush can feel exhilarating – but too much of it, especially in short bursts, can lead to stress exhaustion.”
3. Oxytocin
Also known as the ‘love’ hormone, oxytocin is often associated with bonding and positive emotions such as joy and contentment. And bagging a long-lusted after Black Friday item can trigger these same emotions. “That sense of joy you experience after snagging the perfect gift or long-awaited gadget isn’t just psychological; it’s a hormone-driven rush of relief and satisfaction, tying your purchases to a sense of accomplishment and happiness,” says Kocsis.
4. Endorphins
Too late for all the bargains? Is your wishlist item sold out in your size? Not all the emotional responses to Black Friday are bad. The disappointment of Black Friday can trigger the release of endorphins, designed to soothe feelings of loss and frustration, and elevate your mood. “This hormonal release helps you recover from the emotional sting of disappointment, allowing you to ‘let go’ and move on from missed opportunities,” explains Kocsis.
5. Serotonin
In the aftermath of Black Friday, serotonin steps in to restore balance to your frazzled body and mind. “Serotonin helps to regulate mood and promotes emotional stability,” says Kocsis. “It’s the reason you might feel content and at peace with your decisions once the shopping rush is over, providing a much-needed counterbalance to the highs and lows of the day.”
6. Dopamine
It’s not rocket science that any kind of shopping can trigger a dopamine surge. Known as the feel-good hormone, dopamine is released whenever we achieve a goal – and bagging a bargain is no exception.
“Dopamine is a key player in the Black Friday experience,” says Kocsis. “The excitement and joy of purchasing items you’ve been eyeing, treating yourself or buying gifts for loved ones all trigger a dopamine release, reinforcing the satisfaction of a successful shopping spree. This positive reinforcement can, however, lead to addictive shopping behaviours if not managed wisely.”
How to avoid overspending this Black Friday
Altogether, then, the Black Friday sales work in a way which pushes us to spend our money – but being aware of these psychological traps is the first step towards resisting them completely.
There are also several tips and tricks you can use to resist the urge to shop – and that’s where this article comes in. To give you the tools you need to avoid overspending this Black Friday, we asked the experts to share their best advice. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Create friction
Before the deals start drawing you in, try creating some friction by taking steps to make the act of shopping as hard or as prolonged as possible. This way, you’re less likely to make quick purchases.
“You want to reduce the automatic nature of shopping as much as possible,” says Dr Hepburn. “This might mean not having your card details stored and not having shopping apps on your phone. The more actions you have to take to buy an item, such as having to manually input your card details, the more possibilities you have to pause and consider if you really need it.”
Dawn Baxter, a certified positive psychology coach and owner of Beyond The Dawn Digital, agrees: “Don’t lead yourself into temptation – delete shopping apps and remove the notifications function from your phone or laptop.
“Whether you realise it or not, this is a form of self-care as you acknowledge that something is causing you harm and are taking action against it.”
2. Interrogate the deals on offer
The deals on offer across the Black Friday weekend can often seem too good to be true – and that’s because sometimes, they are.
If you have been planning on buying something for a while, it’s worth checking that the ‘deal’ you’re getting is actually a deal, says Mat Megens, personal finance expert and founder of the money-saving app HyperJar.
“There are loads of dodgy practices out there, with faked price drops – so watch out,” he says. “You want to be sure you’re getting a genuine bargain on the item you’ve set your heart on.”
3. Shop around
Scarcity tactics can make you feel like you need to buy from the first shop you visit; being aware of and resisting these tactics can help you be less impulsive.
“Scarcity marketing tactics stimulate our amygdala, which is the part of the brain that detects threat – or in this case, FOMO,” Baxter explains.
“Look out for the signs – companies using wording like cart closing, timed options on pages for checkouts or messages telling you that 30 people have this product in their cart right now. Some companies actually buy this software to create panic and drive sales, so don’t be sucked in.”
Images: Getty
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