You may have heard of the phrase "retail therapy" before, which is the act of buying things for personal enjoyment.
Well, there's some truth to that.
The University of Michigan actually studied the affects of shopping on our sadness levels. Purchasing something you enjoy can actually decrease sadness 40 times better than not purchasing something.
There are tons of other benefits like dopamine increases, anxiety reduction and improved mood. We wanted to know what people are buying to give them that rush of happy hormones and increase their joy.
Redditor greyblacknavytan asked:
"What can you buy for $75 or less that will provide the most happiness?"
It might be time to start a wish list!
A sweet treat.
"The chocolate bar I’m eating right now is doing it for me. It's a Tony’s Chocolonely milk chocolate sea salt and caramel."
- knovit
"$75 of Tony’s is a great use of money imo."
- lostinbass
The amino acids in chocolate actually change our brain patterns to make us happy, so definitely a good investment.
Your neck will thank you.
"Get a nice pillow. So worth it. I got the a memory foam one from Amazon for $50. My neck is in premature heaven."
- googlemeagoose
"Memory foam pillows are hit or miss. For me, they're all miss. Feels like I'm resting my head on a rock."
- Snoo74401
"I was the same way until I got a pillow that you stuff to your own firmness with shredded memory foam. It has the feel of a memory foam pillow but it's 'fluffier' if that makes sense. Add to that the customizability of the firmness and you have a perfect pillow IMHO. Just don't throw the extra stuffing away immediately, sleep on it for a while and adjust as needed."
- liberal_texan
Splurge on some nice food.
" Food."
"I'm poor but not so poor that food is the main concern. What I mean is some nice cuts of meat, chanterelles, russet potatoes, cream, a nice wine and the rest for beer. I could make a meal for kings on that. It would make me so happy!"
- Redditor
"For sure, similarly you could even provide a meal for a group of friends for that amount which would make a group of people happy."
- Chocolateismy
Invest in your hobbies.
"Invest in a hobby like good hiking boots or high quality yarn for knitting or so on. Hobbies keep you happier, healthier, and can help you make new friends."
- Fredredphooey
"Good hiking boots are going to cost more than $75."
- Captain_Hammertoe
"Save money by buying just one boot."
- Ian1732
11 years of happiness.
"I paid the Humane Society about $75 when I adopted my cat; he has thus far provided me with 11 years of affection."
- MatthewHWood
For something silly.
"Googly eyes and some blue tack."
- asthma_mermaid
"This is my favorite first date. Just walk around sticking googly eyes to stuff together. It's always so much fun."
- Skrappyross
"Another one I really liked was leaving sweet notes in books in a bookstore."
"We took some notecards and wrote a short paragraph or two about a favorite book. What we'd enjoyed about it, how we wished we could read it again for the first time, that we were excited the new owner of the book is on the verge of that experience. We signed them with our (common) first names, but included no other contact information."
"Then we snuck them into books in a bookstore."
"It was a super fun date."
- TheDiplocrap
Just vibes.
"I clicked on this thinking I'd be enlightened by some suggestions... Instead, everyone is telling me to do drugs, go to the gym, and relax with a vibrator."
"OK... You all convinced me. I'm going to buy a vibrator."
- jonsconspiracy
"Vibrators are pretty enlightening tbh."
- dumbbinch99
Make a donation.
"3 cataract [treatments] to restore sight via the Fred Hollows foundation."
- SaffyAs
This can apply to any foundation of your choosing! You're sharing joy with those who need it.
A bidet.
"100% a bidet. A clean butthole makes for a happy day."
- thr0w4w4yanon
"Bidets are so underrated. I just don't feel clean without it anymore, yk?"
- possumpussie
Maybe you don't have $75 to spend right now.
Well, even the act of filling up your online shopping cart and hitting "save for later" can give a rush a dopamine.
You're definitely worth that little bit of joy from buying that item that's been sitting in your cart for weeks.
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