為什么購(gòu)物時(shí)又快樂(lè)又興奮？

For many people, the real joy of the holiday season comes from shopping, whether it’s getting to the store at 4 a.m. for the best bargains or finding that impossible-to-find holiday toy.

對(duì)于許多人來(lái)說(shuō)，節(jié)假日真正讓人高興的事情非購(gòu)物莫屬，至于是凌晨四點(diǎn)在商店門口排隊(duì)，好搶到最劃算的商品，還是淘到稀罕的寶貝，這些倒無(wú)關(guān)緊要。

The pleasure you feel from every shopping victory is real. Shopping, like any new or exciting experience, activates the brain’s reward center, triggering the release of dopamine. That’s the same brain chemical released by drug use, gambling and other addictive behaviors.

每次購(gòu)物凱旋而歸時(shí)，你感受到的歡愉都是真真切切存在的。購(gòu)物和其他所有新鮮或令人興奮的體驗(yàn)一切，都會(huì)激活大腦的獎(jiǎng)賞中樞(reward center)，刺激多巴胺的釋放。通過(guò)吸毒、賭博或其他上癮性行為，大腦都會(huì)釋放出多巴胺這種化合物。

"Most people report that shopping is fun and exciting, and they like seeing new products in the stores," said University of Iowa psychiatry professor Dr. Donald Black, who earlier this year wrote a review article about shopping addiction. “The reality is that shopping is America’s No. 1 pastime and most people shop because it’s enjoyable to them."

“大部分人都表示購(gòu)物讓人又快樂(lè)又興奮，他們喜歡在店里看到新商品，”艾奧瓦大學(xué)(University of Iowa)精神病學(xué)教授唐納德·布萊克(Dr. Donald Black)今年初在一篇關(guān)于購(gòu)物癖的評(píng)論中這樣寫道：“現(xiàn)在的現(xiàn)實(shí)就是，購(gòu)物是美國(guó)排名第一位的休閑活動(dòng)，大部分人購(gòu)物，是因?yàn)樗麄儤?lè)在其中。”

Dopamine is a powerful brain chemical that gives you a shopping high. Just as people on drugs make bad choices, people caught up in a shopping high can make bad choices, too. That’s why impulse purchases, overspending and buyer’s remorse are so common.

多巴胺是一種強(qiáng)效的大腦化合物，正是它讓你在購(gòu)物時(shí)覺(jué)得興奮不已。使用毒品的人會(huì)做出錯(cuò)誤的選擇，而興奮購(gòu)物的人同樣也會(huì)如此。也正因?yàn)?，沖動(dòng)購(gòu)物、過(guò)度花費(fèi)、事后懊惱不已，才如此屢見(jiàn)不鮮。

Everybody at some point has spent too much money at the store or regretted a purchase. Indiana University professor Ruth Engs, who studies shopping addiction, says true shopping addicts buy things they never use — often they have racks of clothes and other items with the price tags still attached. Instead of buying one or two items as they intended, they return from a shopping excursion with bags and bags of purchases. And sometimes they hide purchases from family members.

每個(gè)人都碰到過(guò)在店里不小心多花了一大筆錢，或者為買了某件東西痛心疾首的情況。印第安納大學(xué)(Indiana University)的魯絲·安格斯(Ruth Engs)教授專門研究購(gòu)物癖的問(wèn)題，她說(shuō)，真正的購(gòu)物癖患者會(huì)購(gòu)買那些自己永遠(yuǎn)用不著的東西——在他們的衣柜里，會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)有很多衣服和配飾的價(jià)簽還沒(méi)有摘下來(lái)。他們不是買一兩件真正需要的東西，而是每次提著大包小包的戰(zhàn)利品，這才算結(jié)束了一次購(gòu)物之旅。而且有時(shí)候他們會(huì)把買的東西藏起來(lái)，瞞著不讓家人看到。

When considering an impulse purchase, the best advice is to put it on hold for a day. Walking away will allow you to recover from the dopamine surge of shopping so you can think more clearly about whether you really need and can afford the item.

有沖動(dòng)購(gòu)物的想法時(shí)，最好的辦法是擱置一天，轉(zhuǎn)身離開(kāi)，這樣你可以讓飆升的多巴胺水平慢慢降下來(lái)，能更清楚地想一想你是否真的需要這件東西，有沒(méi)有經(jīng)濟(jì)實(shí)力買它。

Dr. Engs notes that the holidays can trigger shopping binges among those who are not compulsive the rest of the year. If you’re feeling caught up in the holiday shopping frenzy, Dr. Engs has created a Web site with advice to help people make better shopping decisions. Among her do's and don'ts:

安格斯博士指出，對(duì)于那些通常不會(huì)強(qiáng)迫性購(gòu)物的人來(lái)說(shuō)，節(jié)假日往往刺激他們肆意消費(fèi)狂歡。她創(chuàng)建了一個(gè)網(wǎng)站，如果你感覺(jué)自己正在假日消費(fèi)的狂熱中欲罷不能，可以去這個(gè)網(wǎng)站，看看能否幫助你做出更恰當(dāng)?shù)南M(fèi)決策。以下是她提出的部分建議：

Create a shopping list and stick to it. Say no to impulse purchases.

開(kāi)一個(gè)購(gòu)物清單，完全照著清單買東西。抵制沖動(dòng)消費(fèi)。

Use cash and debit cards and leave credit cards at home. The reality of your bank account will prevent you from succumbing to shopping excitement.

用現(xiàn)金和借記卡，將信用卡留在家里。銀行賬戶的冷峻現(xiàn)實(shí)，會(huì)阻止你被消費(fèi)的興奮勁兒給壓倒。

Don't shop when you're traveling or visiting relatives. Shopping in a new place adds to the novelty of shopping and puts you at risk for buying things you don’t need.

在旅行或走親訪友時(shí)不要買東西。在新地方購(gòu)物會(huì)增加消費(fèi)的新鮮感，更容易讓你買下不需要的東西。