Studies have shown that the shiny sliding doors to your favorite department store could just be an entrance into a longer and healthier life. Furthermore, these studies suggest different reasons as to why our materialistic indulgences may actually benefit us in the long run.
Englemed Health News reports that a new study from the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has linked daily shopping habits to decreased mortality rates among the elderly in Taiwan. The researchers propose that daily shopping provides regular physical exercise and social interaction, and even an abundant supply of food (considering that one can afford the surrounding cuisine, of course, and that the food is healthy in the first place).
Although this study is fairly recent, both North American and British researchers have looked into the health benefits of shopping prior to the studies in Taiwan. A New York Times article published in 1997 suggests that shopping malls became an ideal spot for women to socialize because they could come together without fear of judgment in the department stores that opened in London, Paris and New York at the turn of the century.
As beneficial as shopping can be, it’s also important to distinguish “normal” shoppers from shopping addicts. Symptoms of shopping addiction, or omniomania, include wanting to shop when unoccupied or in a bad mood, spending even without enough money, and feeling depressed and guilty after buying many items. The New York Times article discusses a possible explanation for shopping addiction – as many as 45% of shopping addicts interviewed at Oxford University’s School of Management Studies experienced more satisfaction from their addiction than through sexual intercourse. Popular ‘80s novelist Judith Krantz wrote about this connection between the two activities in her autobiography Sex and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl.
All in all, as long as one keeps his or her shopping habits in moderation, there’s nothing wrong with feeling the rush of endorphins accompanied with buying those new pairs of shoes, or just eating and socializing with friends at the food court. Scouring the streets, both physical and virtual, for something new to add to our spring and summer collections may in fact help us in the long run!