Huma Qureshi is all of us in her latest Instagram post. The actor managed to do what the best of us have done at some point in our life: rely on shopping for mental and emotional gratification.
Only, Huma’s post was peppered with humour, as she seemed to have gone on a shopping spree.
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The Ek Thi Daayan actor sat with many shopping bags — with their brand names blurred and struck out — in the boot of her car, smiling. She wore a white shirt and a pair of black pants and sneakers.
With one hand resting on her head, the actor’s expressions suggested that she had just realised she may have gone overboard with retail therapy. The caption read, “Best kind of therapy is retail therapy! #besttherapy #retailtherapy #feelgood What have I done? Hey Bhagwan… #shoptillyoudrop #joy [Sic]”
For the unversed, retail therapy is shopping with the sole purpose of boosting the buyer’s mood. It is said that the term ‘retail therapy’ was first used in a sentence in the Chicago Tribune in 1986. The sentence read, “We’ve become a nation measuring out our lives in shopping bags and nursing our psychic ills through retail therapy.”
Some short-term euphoria is associated with retail therapy. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)
Interestingly, while it is not true therapy, there is some short-term euphoria associated with retail therapy — provided the buyer does not overdo it. According to an article published in clevelandclinic.org, research shows “making shopping decisions can help reinforce a sense of personal control over our environment. It can also ease feelings of sadness”.
In fact, per a 2014 study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology, retail therapy not only makes people “happier immediately”, but it can also “fight lingering sadness”.
Clinical psychologist Scott Bea was quoted as telling clevelandclinic.org, “Research suggests there’s actually a lot of psychological and therapeutic value when you’re shopping — if done in moderation, of course. Whether you’re adding items to your shopping cart online or visiting your favorite boutique for a few hours, you do get a psychological and emotional boost.”
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