There is line between clothing overconsumption

and shopping addiction. Both are a problem.

By Kara Fedurek
For JOUR 2311

Sabine Obermoller, a
freshman at Ohio University,
has found fashion freedom in
her adult life. With online
shopping and her part-time job
giving her a steady flow of
income, Obermoller can
finally buy clothing whenever
and wherever she wants. But
with freedom has come excess.
Buying clothing nearly every
single week, Obermoller has
found herself overconsuming,
and it all comes back to her
emotions.
“I don’t need new
clothing,” Obermoller said,
“But I’m bored so I want it.”
Clothing Clothing overconsumption has become increasingly popular.
overconsumption, buying Though overconsumption and addiction involve similar
significantly more clothes than negative emotions, there is still a clear line between the two.
are needed, has become a Photo featuring Caroline Bossa taken by Kara Fedurek.
rising trend. Although you happy. But if something Benyei said.
currently the main issues starts to take over your life, Though
discussed regarding
then it’s becoming a barrier to overconsumption has the
overconsumption are the coping rather than something potential to do nothing more
environmental consequences, that can just be pleasurable.” than crowd your closet and
emotional reliance on “retail Claire Benyei, a drain your bank account, as
therapy” is becoming more sophomore at Ohio University, with any behavior repeated
and more common each day. admits to buying clothing over a long period of time, it
When it comes to more often than is necessary. can lead to addiction,
“retail therapy,” Dr. Renda Though a new outfit makes her according to a 2021 shopping
Ross, clinical psychologist and feel “on top of the world,” addiction study led by Daryl
associate professor in the Benyei explains that she often Wayne Niedermoser and the
department of social work at worries about how much she Department of Addictive
Capital University, explained spends. Disorders at the University of
that “sometimes when you’re “I look at my bank Basel in Switzerland.
bored or unhappy, you may
account and I have $30 and I Shopping addiction,
want to do things that make don’t know how I got there,” sometimes referred to as
compulsive buying disorder, is
a disorder in which the addict
compulsively shops to the
point where their life is
severely, negatively impacted.
The study explains that
shopping addicts may go
bankrupt, cause issues in their
relationships and feel a lack of
control in their life.
According to a 2014
study by Sang-Hee Sohn and
Yun-Jung Choi from Seoul
National University in South
Korea, overconsumption is the
second of five phases of
shopping addiction. The phase
involves denying the issue at
hand and assuming everything
will work out, even if the
emotional causes are ignored.
Ross said
overconsumption is caused by
the desire to fill a void. For Jax
Scally, a senior at Ohio
University, that void is
negative emotion.
“Shopping makes for
good release after a stressful
week… Most of my shopping
is retail therapy,” Scally said.
Ross explained brain
chemistry is a key factor in
addiction. A shopper might be
feeling bored or sad, and after
making a purchase, receive a
burst of dopamine.
Dopamine is a pleasure
neurotransmitter that is one of
the core chemicals involved in
behavioral addictions.
According to Ross, the brain
learns it can get dopamine
from a certain action and from
that point on, when the addict
is feeling negative, they will
want to repeat the behavior.
“People get to a point
where, even if there are
negative circumstances or
consequences as a result of
shopping too much, they
almost need it just to feel
normal,” Ross said.
Over-consumers are
not shopping addicts, nor are
they always on the path to
becoming shopping addicts.
Diagnosing behavioral
addictions is extremely
difficult and is usually only
done when the addiction
reaches a point where it is
doing serious damage to the
addict’s life. A diagnosis is
done based on frequency,
intensity and duration,
according to Ross.
Though many people
joke about being
“shopaholics,” shopping
addiction is not often
diagnosed. A 2021 online
shopping research study by
Grzegorz Adamczyk from the
Catholic University of Lublin
in Poland found that in a group
of 1,000 people from ages 15
to over 60, only 3% were
compulsive buyers. However,
12% were identified as
compensative buyers, which is
the step before compulsive
buying takes over.
Addiction is most seen
among women in their late 30s
to early 40s. The onset to
shopping addiction takes years
and can stem from a variety of
social and psychological
issues. Those suffering from
other mental health issues such
as anxiety or depression are
more likely to have a shopping
addiction, according to a 2016
study led by Roser Granero
and the University of
Barcelona in Spain.
Ross believes the
popularity of online shopping
may impact the number of
shopping addicts in the future.
“There are less
decision points when shopping
online… It’s much easier to
get that dopamine high,” she
said.
According to the
online shopping study, 5.4%
of heavy online shopping users
were identified as shopping
addicts, whereas zero light
online shopping users were
identified as shopping addicts.
Breaking the cycle of
shopping addiction isn’t easy.
The first step is always
recognizing the problem and
wanting to change. Ross
recommends a holistic
approach to addressing the
addiction.
“There needs to be
some level of support and
accountability,” she explained.
According to Ross,
finding the core issue and
abstaining from the behavior
are the best ways to reset the
brain and heal.
“We have to ask
ourselves how we as a society
are raising individuals who
understand that they need to
control their money,” Ross
said. “It shouldn’t be that their
money controls them.