Manipulated by Marketing: Why Discounts Make Us Spend Blindly
Have you ever wondered why we buy things that we don't need Sometimes, while roaming in a mall or scrolling through our phones, we come across something we like and order it immediately. Whether it's a fancy bottle or a gift, we don't understand why we bought it, but at the time, we feel a strange happiness. It feels like we have done something strange but after some time the happiness fades and we feel that it was not necessary to buy it.
We don't buy things just because we need them. Sometimes we run after the feeling that shopping gives us. The remote system of the brain gets activated and dopamine is released. This chemical makes us feel good temporarily. As long as it is full, everything feels right. As soon as it is over, the same old feeling of emptiness is felt. Then we feel like buying something else, and again the same feeling of water arises and this cycle continues.
Sometimes we are tired. Life seems a little brighter. When the mind is sad, we want to comfort ourselves by shopping. As if we have given a gift. It feels like a small assurance to ourselves that everything will be fine. Perhaps for this reason people do more shopping in stressful situations. Whenever there is a breakup, whenever a partner leaves or there is some tension at home, shopping becomes a temporary comfort.
Social media has also given a lot of encouragement to the trend. Every day when we see people wearing new clothes, unboxing new phones, and drinking coffee in new cafes, then a comparison starts. We feel that we are left behind. We feel the FOMO effect. Then we also want to enhance our lives by adopting the same things. Maybe we don't need that in our life. But we start following it just because everyone has it.
We are often confused about our image. How to look in the audience. What people think, this matters and to maintain this image we repeatedly buy new products. We wear designer clothes. Latest gadgets, branded suits, all this becomes a part of our identity. We take things so that other people will admire us or we can bring ourselves to their level. Sometimes it is just an illusion but we lose ourselves in the solution.
Offers and discounts also confuse us. When it is written that flat 70% off or buy one get one free, then we feel that if we don't buy it right now, we will incur a huge loss. In reality, he doesn't even need the product. But he is so attached to it that he can't stop himself. We feel that these marketing tricks are benefiting us. But in reality, we spend money on things that don't matter to us.
Many times we want control in our lives. When it seems that everything is getting out of hand, we start buying something to feel that we have some control. A small purchase makes us feel that we have something for ourselves. Perhaps that sense of control forces us to buy more things. But the truth is that control comes from within, not from any new item.
Our childhood also teaches us this habit of spending. Those who crave money in childhood, grow up and fulfill their every small wish. They get everything in childhood. For them, buying is a normal thing. In both cases, spending patterns are developed. Sometimes emotionally and sometimes habitually, the reason is different for everyone but the pattern is the same. When there is no work. When we are free, we pick up the phone, start shopping, and stop at the ad or post of something, from there it starts. Think that we should buy something new. Then we think about that. See the review and buy it. It is not even necessary to buy that thing. But to satisfy our craving, we buy it. This also becomes a pattern.
Sometimes there is also the question of self-worth. When we are not happy with ourselves. When we feel that there is some work to be done, there is something lacking in us. We try to fill the lack by buying things from outside. A new bag, an expensive watch, a new phone, all this seems as if we have increased our value. But in reality, our value does not increase with things but with our attitude. Until we understand this, we keep running after things.
Shopping is not wrong and it is right to buy something for yourself and give something for your happiness. The problem arises when we make shopping a solution for emotions. When you buy something new to take care of yourself your identity is limited only to the brand and its bill. Then you ignore the real emotions. You start hiding behind those things. There is a simple trick by which we can stop ourselves. Whenever you feel like buying something, do not buy it immediately. Think about that thing for a day. If you still feel that you need it the next day, then only buy it. It often happens that at night we get rid of these things from our hearts. By giving time to impress in plus, that impression ends. It seems a little difficult to form this habit. But it is very important for your finances and mental peace.
There is a strength in understanding your emotions and accepting them. When we understand why we are spending, we can make better decisions. There is an emotional element hidden behind every joy and pain. Sometimes loneliness, stress, sometimes boredom, sometimes comparison, by the time we accept the emotions, our way of handling them also changes.
The real peace of life is not in things, but in spending time with people, fulfilling our dreams, and staying connected with ourselves. When we are happy with ourselves, then we don't feel the need for anything. As long as everything is fine from within, then we don't need anything from outside. Shopping is a need, but when it becomes an addiction, then it needs to be explained and improved and think a little about your decision, listen to your mother, and explain to yourself that happiness does not always lie in a new product. Sometimes happiness can be found in just taking a deep breath or in drinking a cup of tea while sitting with someone close to you.
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