How was Black Friday born and why is it a shopping day?
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(CNN) -
I love finding the perfect gift for a loved one, and I take joy in making thoughtful personal purchases.
But I hate spending for spending, especially on manufactured "holidays" like Black Friday.
Dollar decisions are complicated.
"The consumer dilemma is the idea that the planet clearly needs us to reduce our consumption. But our economy needs us to consume more and more each year," said James MacKinnon, author of "The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves. "
The pandemic revealed how vulnerable our economic system is to any kind of disturbance in people's appetite for shopping, MacKinnon noted.
"We have created a system that depends on us acting as consumers. It is almost as if it limits our freedoms to choose how we want to live and determines what our social role will be."
There may be financial circumstances that drive a person's need to make purchases on big sale days.
But if you experience the financial freedom that spending allows you, you might even be happier if you don't buy anything on Black Friday.
Here are some realities to consider:
Recognize that biology is at stake
If you feel bad about compulsive spending habits, you are not alone.
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"One thing about Black Friday that makes it even more pernicious is that not only can shopping release dopamine into the brain's reward pathways, making it potentially addictive, but it also manipulates the social source of dopamine," he shared. Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author of "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence."
Lembke, who refers to smartphones as today's hypodermic needle that delivers 24/7 digital dopamine, noted that when people feel they belong to a tribe and share experiences and emotions with other people, dopamine is released.
"That feeling of unity or immersion is a great source of dopamine and also serotonin," Lembke said.
He pointed out that these primitive brain circuits can hamper the prefrontal cortex's ability to make rational decisions, such as realizing that you can't afford to spend the money you are spending.
Do you think turkey tryptophan makes you sleepy?
Think again
Buy with intention
If you're looking for a different tribe, there is a pack that believes in intention-based shopping.
I recently asked on Instagram Stories if people were opting out of Black Friday shopping and if they were doing something else instead.
Many people shared that they were choosing different ways to shop this holiday season.
Carolyn Kornwitz of Boston wrote that she opts out of Black Friday and all sale purchases.
"I'm going to get most, if not all, of the gifts for the kids in my local Buy Nothing Facebook group, as well as thrift stores."
Others shared that they were focused on supporting local businesses, independent sellers on Etsy, or putting their creator skills to use.
"My hobby of the pandemic is knitting, so everyone is getting ornate hand-woven items!" Wrote Anna Brakeman of Madison, Wisconsin.
MacKinnon agreed that not all expenses are equal.
"There are definitely better and worse ways to consume. Support smaller-scale companies, particularly those that have no shareholders to answer to ... when you spend your money, spend it in your local community on products that will be meaningful to you or to whom. you're giving it to them. "
What is the origin of Black Friday as a shopping day?
Here we tell you
Counteract binge drinking with people and experiences
Overconsumption can result from people trying to escape their circumstances.
It's a tactic that's understandable but ultimately doesn't work, Lembke said.
"One possible antidote is to do the opposite and dive deep into our lives."
"If we really turn to our lives, everything becomes more interesting. When we reinvest in relationships and experiences, we create new energy and new meaning and it becomes transcendent," Lembke said.
In fact, many people shared that they were avoiding Black Friday shopping and opting for connection time in the form of walks with family or friends, games, tennis, cycling, or relaxation time at home.
Others shared that they are getting into the holiday spirit through activities like Christmas tree trimming and experiences like "The Nutcracker" at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
"My parents are in town for Thanksgiving this year. We bought tickets for a nature walk / light show at Crystal Bridges, which is an art museum near us," shared Liz Fernandez from Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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Think about the lessons of the past year
Evidence of non-consumer holiday satisfaction may come from your own memories.
"Last year it forced us to exclude ourselves from the traditional Thanksgiving Day and this year it made us think about how we really wanted to spend those four days off together," wrote Kaci Lint of Mesa, Arizona.
Since she has five children, Lint noticed that material items quickly become overwhelming.
This Thanksgiving, your family is intentionally choosing experiences over things when traveling to camp and watch the sunrise over the sand dunes in Utah.
MacKinnon is eager to get people back to the mindset that it's enough to spend time together and focus on making that time an enriching experience.
"Last Christmas everyone wanted to be together; that would have been more than enough," he said.
On the contrary, he pointed out that this season people feel that company alone is inadequate and they need to present themselves with a lot of gifts.
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People are capable of change
One of the most dramatic and surprising observations in the midst of the MacKinnon pandemic was how quickly people found their way from a consumerist value system to a new set of values focused on relationships, experiences, and the development of people. abilities.
"What we saw when people went into quarantine and lockdown was that they turned to other values very quickly. People reached out to old friends with whom they had lost contact. They watched birds, mastered new skills, planted things. it took a matter of days for people to find their way to a new set of values, "MacKinnon said.
That said, depending on the circumstances, behavior change may take longer depending on the severity of your addiction, Lembke noted.
"People need to abstain from a behavior long enough for homeostasis to be restored in the pleasure-pain system in the brain. Over time, people will be able to enjoy more modest rewards," he said.
There is considerable work to be done to find the balance of consumerism as it relates to the planet and our economy, but one thing is clear: our relationships, experiences, and well-being are things worth investing in.
And you don't have to limit yourself to a day on the calendar or a row going around the block to do it.
Editor's Note:
Christine Koh is a former brain and music scientist turned author, podcaster, and creative director.
You can find her work at christinekoh.com and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @drchristinekoh.
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