Is shopping good for you?
We unpack the age-old question "Is shopping good for you?" in our latest blog post - check it out before your next shopping spree!
Shop for good health
Is shopping good for you? A number of recent studies have shown that it can do wonders for your health and wellbeing. I guess that’s why they call it retail therapy. We prescribe a ‘regular shopping trip at Albany Mega’ but we would, wouldn't we?
Set the mood
You often hear people say that “I went shopping to cheer myself up.” There is some science to this. Buying something for yourself lowers stress, improves your mood and makes you feel more in control. A stress management tool that doesn’t involve chocolate or alcohol has got to be good! And finding something you really love, like new shoes or clothes, or getting a great bargain, can really improve your self-esteem. This comes from a sense of accomplishment and the satisfaction of doing something good just for you.
Open your mind
Walking around certain stores, like homewares or furniture, can spark imagination and inspire thoughts of home redecoration. In the same way, visiting a sport or outdoor adventure store opens the mind to the possibilities of exercise or outdoor activities. Shopping can be educational, who knew?
Be Social
Shopping with friends and family is a great way to connect, share interests, tastes and stories while creating all new shared experiences. And buying gifts for others helps to form empathetic and healthy relationships. You can see the joy on both the grandparent’s and the grandchild’s faces when they are in a toy store together.
Release the good chemicals
Endorphins are the chemicals produced in your brain that lead to feelings of happiness, pleasure and even euphoria. Scientists have proven that shopping gives you the same chemical rush that a live concert or completing a sports event provides. The good high that shopping offers adds to your sense of mental and physical wellbeing.
Shopercise
A recent article in Britain’s The Daily Telegraph indicated that walking between shops carrying shopping bags burns 385 calories a week for the average British women. A study quoted in the same article said that women walk around three miles for every two and a half hours of shopping a week. That’s 150 miles a year searching for bargains! The Heart Foundation also advocates shopping as a way to exercise and a much better alternative to sitting on the couch.
The walk from one end to the Albany Mega Shopping Centre to the other is about half a kilometre. Add in about 20 stores in between and the opportunities to experience the benefits of retail therapy are immense!