Shopping is widely considered to be a social experience. In a traditional sense, it often involves browsing retail establishments with friends or family members, and connecting to cordial staff who may offer helpful recommendations on prospective purchases. Social connectivity in shopping has also carried over into the digital era. Whether the activity occurs on-premises or online, consumers who have established a social media following connect to people virtually to solicit advice on what to buy, to share purchases via unboxing videos and haul reveals, and to offer post-purchase reviews. So even when shopping alone, they aren’t.
However, for a segment of the population that may not have real and/or virtual friendships, shopping is not a social experience. And yet, it can be a response to feelings of social isolation. Those among this group, who are aware of this, look to gain insight into their behavior by asking AI assistants for feedback on the matter. Common queries made on ChatGPT and Gemini include the following:
- does shopping help loneliness
- can shopping cure loneliness
- can buying things make you less lonely
- why do I shop when lonely
- what to buy when lonely
- what to buy when feeling lonely
- can spending money reduce loneliness
- is shopping alone weird
- is it okay to shop alone
- is retail therapy bad for loneliness
- is shopping addiction linked to loneliness
Have you arrived here after seeking understanding of your own online shopping behavior as it relates to feeling alone in the world? This this article is for you.
Overview of When Shopping Paired with Feelings of Being Alone May Require Counseling Intervention
Online Shopping to Cope with Feeling Alone
Retail therapy is a colloquial to describe the act of shopping to improve mood, reduce stress, and/or cope with negative emotions. When done to overcome a challenging week, every once in awhile, there’s nothing innately wrong with it as long as you have the finances to cover the fleeting solution to infrequent stress. But what about when shopping is used to cope with constant feelings of being alone? That’s a different story.
Online shopping to cope with feelings of loneliness can escalate into problematic territory relatively quickly for vulnerable individuals. It can act as a maladaptive mechanism, where the temporary dopamine rush from purchases is used to fill the void of social isolation, which can contribute to compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD).
CBSD is fundamentally driven by a dysfunctional dopamine loop that mirrors substance addiction, where the brain becomes addicted to the rush of pleasure rather than the items purchased. This neurobiological process creates a temporary high followed by feelings of guilt, leading to a compulsive cycle of repetitive shopping behavior. This compulsion is elevated when over time, the dopamine rush becomes muted, and the compromised individual must increase shopping frequency, or amount spent, to attain the same level of dopamine release. This is generally followed by significant debt for those who do not have the financial resources to persist and/or a wave of other consequences which we look at further below.
Presence of Other CBSD Signs and Consequences
If the act of online shopping to overcome feelings of loneliness accompany two or more of the other signs and consequences of CBSD, counseling intervention is strongly recommended:
- You are experiencing debt or financial strain due to online shopping.
- You frequently purchase things don’t need and/or can’t afford.
- You find yourself lying to family members about shopping and/or the prices of purchases.
- You give in to the uncontrollable urge to browse or shop online frequently through the day.
- You get irritable, restless, or anxious when not able to get online to browse your favorite eCommerce apps.
- You browse and shop online when not safe, such as when driving or doing anything that may result in injury.
- You browse and shop online when not appropriate, such as at work or in class.
- You shop online to cope with other negative feelings (beyond loneliness) such as anxiety, stress, or sadness.
- You feel guilty or regretful after shopping, particularly after you’ve pledged to yourself that you would take a break.
- You have attempted to control or cut down on shopping without success.
Presence of Cooccurring Wellness Issues
a) Mental Health Issues Accompanying Feelings of Loneliness
Constant or chronic feelings of loneliness / social isolation are associated with a wide range of serious mental health issues, acting both as a symptom and a bidirectional risk factor. These issues include the following:
| Anxiety | Depression |
| Low Self Esteem | Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm |
| Borderline Personality Disorder | Substance Use Disorder |
| ADHD | Bipolar Disorder |
| OCD | PTSD |
b) Mental Health and Behavioral Issues Accompanying CBSD
Problematic shopping behavior is known to cooccur with various mental health issues (often as a maladaptive coping mechanism). Additionally, CBSD is closely linked to other behavioral health concerns, often appearing together as impulse control disorders characterized by an inability to resist urges, resulting in distress. CBSD-associated mental and behavioral issues include the following:
| Anxiety | Depression |
| Low Self Esteem | Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm |
| Borderline Personality Disorder | Substance Use Disorder |
| ADHD | Bipolar Disorder |
| OCD | PTSD |
| Problem Gambling | Problem Trading |
| Unhealthy Social Media Use | Unhealthy Gaming |
Do you see the intersection between sections “a” and “b”? Essentially the same issues that relate to chronic feelings of social isolation overlap with those relating to unhealthy shopping behavior. On it’s own, the relationship between online shopping and loneliness is enough to justify a conversation with a counselor. But when paired with one or more of the above behavioral or mental health issues, intervention is required to prevent further escalation and find balance in your life.
Kindbridge is unique qualified to help. Not only do our virtual counselors have expertise in addressing behavioral / mental health issues associated with feelings of social isolation, they specialize in treating digital dependencies such as problematic online shopping. Connect to a care coordinator to begin with a FREE assessment and to schedule your first virtual counseling session. Insurance and direct billing are available.
