Treat Yo’ Self. The term that was coined in hit show Parks and Recreation has become a world-wide phenomenon with thousands of people gifting themselves to takeaways, new clothes and technology.

We live in a capitalist society, so isn’t it fair that we reward ourselves?

While we all certainly deserve a treat every now and then, it would appear that the treat yo’ self phenomenon is leading to major financial issues.

According to an article from The Money Statistics, the average UK household is expected to have £8,020 in consumer debt.

So why do people get themselves into these situations in the first place?

It turns out that there’s actually some science behind shopping addictions. When someone has a shopping addiction, spending money can release dopamine from the brain. Dopamine is responsible for pleasure and is often referred to as the feel-good hormone. So when a shopping addict purchases something, a reward-like system goes off in the brain.

In a world that promotes consumerism, it’s easier said than done to simply cut back on expenses. This is evident from an article from 75 Media which states that adults living in larger areas can see 50 to 400 ads a day.

Anthony Maas, owner of Advice Debt, shared his thoughts on the correlation between spending addiction and financial issues.

“There’s 100% a link,” he said. “The buy now and pay later schemes are a huge part of it. Klarna is as well, which I’ve been told you can now use to buy Dominos. Being able to shop online has also made it much worse.”

Anthony also spoke about the science behind shopping addiction.

“It’s genuinely like a form of therapy to some people. Spending money releases endorphins for them in the same way exercise would,” he stated.

But perhaps the shopping addiction epidemic isn’t as bad as it seems.

In a google docs survey, 16 participants answered questions about ads and their spending habits.

The survey found that 56.3% of the participants bought non-essential products every month, which in hindsight, isn’t really that bad.

And while 43.8% of the participants said the ads they see online do appeal to their personal tastes, 75% of them said that this would not lead to them buying the product advertised.

Another reassuring statistic, 62.5% of the survey participants said that while shopping online, they managed to stick to only purchasing items they were actually looking for.

The bad news? 62.5% of the participants admitted that they do sometimes have a habit of impulse buying.

There also seemed to be a slight divide in the participants when it came to whether or not shopping gave them a rush with 56.3% saying that buying something didn’t give them a rush and 43.8% saying that it did.

So what does the future look like? According to Anthony, not very good. He stated:

“In the UK where we have a culture of community credit. It’s only going to get worse.”

If you or someone you know is facing financial difficulty, you can visit advicedebt.org.uk for advice.

The financial impact of shopping addiction