Why do we buy things we don't need? Financial expert: “A form of seeking peace, meaning or balance”
Why do you end up buying things you don't necessarily need? Because, most of the time, consumer decisions are not rational, and companies know exactly how to influence them. What is there to do?
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“Managing money is 80% psychology and if we understand the psychology of the buyer we will also learn how to manage our money better. Basically, people act financially for two reasons: either they seek pleasure or they try to avoid pain”explains financial expert Adrian Asoltanie for “The Truth”.
It is about a concrete mechanism, which companies know and use systematically. On one side are vacations, clothes, cars, experiences, children's toys, decorations – everything that promises pleasure. On the other side are medications, insurance, treatments, emergency savings—anything that promises to avoid suffering. And advertisements, without exception, activate one of these two mechanisms.
“What companies do through their advertising and marketing campaigns is to activate these impulse-buying triggers, and that's why we're going to see ads fall into two categories. Either those that promise you experiences, beauty, comfort, satisfaction, unforgettable things, or those that tell you if your stomach hurts, if your knees hurt, if your back hurts, if you're in pain, if you have various problems, go for this product or service.” add this one.
In other words, shopping is not only driven by real needs, but also by how a product is emotionally packaged. That's why the impulse occurs not only when we see something beautiful, but also when we feel fear, stress or insecurity. And when the inner state is already fragile, the temptation becomes even stronger.
“Few people buy only objects, because behind every purchase there is almost always a desired state, an emotional need or a silent attempt to regulate something inside, and what seems on the surface a simple gesture of consumption becomes, deep down, a form of seeking peace, meaning or balance at a time when these are not easily accessible.” points out Gabriela Marc, senior clinical psychologist and associate university lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences.
This is where the explanation for purchases comes from, which, looked at coldly, don't really make sense. It's not just useless items, but also courses, services, experiences, degrees or promises of quick transformation. All may function, at some point, as a form of compensation.
“They buy peace after days of not feeling seen, they buy some form of reward when the weariness becomes too much to bear, they buy a sense of control in a life where too many things are spinning out of control, and sometimes they buy a version of themselves that seems safer, more whole, closer to who they want to be, even if that version remains temporary and fragile”says the specialist.
Science confirms: most purchase decisions are not rational
A study published this year in Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Researchconducted on 200 urban consumers between the ages of 16 and 30, shows that consumption decisions constantly deviate from the rational model. Although in theory consumers should make decisions based on analysis and comparison, in practice things are different.
The data cited by the authors show that between 90 and 95% of consumers make impulse purchases, and more than 70% of consumption decisions are influenced by psychological processes that occur outside of conscious evaluation.
“And in financial education there is a very well-known saying that says that those who cannot control their impulses cannot control their money either. And all emotions and positive and negative, they all cost money”, emphasizes Adrian Asoltanie.
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He says that impulse occurs not only when we make small purchases, but also when we need to make major decisions, such as buying a car or a house. In such situations, the fear of missing out comes into play, which today is increasingly called FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
“The moment you hear that a colleague, a friend or a neighbor has changed their car, or you have actually thought of changing your car, you will practically go into a frenzy of searching, trying, checking so that you make that purchase. The same thing happens at home, usually when you hear of acquaintances, friends or work colleagues that they have bought a property or that they have made an investment, very often people start looking and dedicate themselves to this new goal”, supports the specialist.
As for FOMO, he says, this is a very powerful activator that, for example, real estate agents or property developers use when they tell buyers: “know that we have only one two-room apartment left, if you don't hurry to give us the advance and sign the papers, you might lose it”. “And that's how it activates this feeling that if we don't make a decision, if we don't give the money quickly, if we don't decide right away, we might lose an opportunity, an impulse buy,” points out the financial expert.
From a psychological perspective, adds Gabriela Marc, impulsive consumption cannot be reduced to a lack of discipline or will, because it works, most of the time, as an emotional regulation mechanism that appears when other forms of internal support are not stable enough or have not been developed. “And when there is tension, emptiness, insecurity, or a diffuse state of restlessness within, the mind quickly looks for a way to change that state and finds in purchase an immediate, affordable, and effective short-term solution.” she says.
Research also shows that personalized advertising increases the likelihood of purchase by about 30-40%, which explains why ads seem to be more and more relevant to us. In reality, it's no accident: algorithms analyze our online behavior and use this data to influence our purchasing decisions.
“When we talk about controlling your impulses or being frugal, the recommendations are go shopping with a list so you don't fall prey to impulse, don't go shopping when you're hungry or when you're angry or when you're stressed. When it comes to bigger purchases, try to wait a day or two so it's not an impulsive decision.” warns Adrian Asoltanie.
Furthermore, the reaction to these impulses differs from person to person. Some are more sensitive to external stimuli and tend to spend more easily, while others are more savings-oriented.
“There are simply some people who are more sensitive to impulses, they activate much more easily when they see something nice, when they smell something nice, when they see someone on Instagram or on social media having a nice experience or wearing something nice, these threads are more impulsive and they are called spenders or more spending threads”, says the financial expert.
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Just as there are financial personalities who are naturally more prudent, less influenced by what they see on TV or on the Internet, he adds. “They are more activated by accumulation or saving. They are happy when they managed to get another discount, make a discount, catch a hill or a tip or when they manage to put 100 euros aside this month from their salary”he continues.
The difference can also be seen in what brings satisfaction to everyone: “That's their form of satisfaction and joy. While spenders are happy when the courier calls because the package they ordered online is delivered.
That's why the problem is not just how much we spend, but what we're trying to achieve with that spending, experts warn.
“Real change does not come from prohibitions or rigidity, because these approaches maintain the conflict without resolving it, whereas transformation begins when awareness of the connection between inner state and consumption behavior emerges, and the question moves from “why do I spend so much?'' to «what am I trying to feel or avoid when I buy?», thus opening a space where the choice can become more conscious and anchored”concludes Gabriela Marc.
