44 The shopping psychology 购物心理
①People can be addicted to different things ---e. g.,alcohol, drugs, certain foods, or even television. People who have such an addiction are compulsive;i.e.they have a very powerful psychological need that they feel they must satisfy. According to psychologists, many people are compulsive spenders:they feel that they must spend money. This compulsion,like most others, is irrational---impossible to explain reasonablely.For compulsive spenders who buy on credit, charge accounts are even more exciting than money. In other words, compulsive spenders feel that with credit,they can do anything. Their pleasure in spending enormous amounts is actually greater than the pleasure that they get from the things they buy.
②There is even a special psychology of bargain hunting. To save money, of course, most people look for sales, low prices, and discounts. Compulsive bargain hunters,however,often buy things that they don't need just because they are cheap. They want to believe they are helping their budgets, but they are really playing an exciting game:When they can buy something for less than other people, they feel they are winning. Most people, experts claim, have two reasons for their behavior :a good reason for the things that they do and the real reason.
③It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, but also businesspeople.Stores,companies,and advertisers use psychology to increase business:They consider people's needs for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs and opinions, and so on in their advertising and sales methods.
④Psychologists often use a method called"behavior therapy "to help individuals solve their personality problems. In the same way, they can help people who feel that they have problems with money.
