Woman Explains How To Get The ‘Dopamine Hit’ You Receive From Shopping Without Spending A Penny

It’s hard to deny the buzz you get when you go shopping. It’s called “retail therapy” for a reason. But that buzz is rarely good for your wallet.

One woman figured out how to still get that “dopamine hit” that comes from buying something new without actually spending money, and it’s a lesson we could all use.

A woman on TikTok explained how to feel the dopamine rush from shopping without spending any money.

TikTok content creator and podcast host Sierra Boudreaux shares motivational videos to help fellow young women. One video, in which she discussed how to get a shopping-style dopamine hit without the loss of money, has over one million views.

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“Beloved, I know your credit card bill is high, okay?” she said. “So, listen to me. Lock in.”

“This is how we’re gonna save that money and also get that dopamine hit because oftentimes we don’t really want the thing; we want the dopamine we’ve attached to it,” she continued.

The woman shared how keeping a detailed monthly list of everything you wanted to buy or almost impulse-bought was the secret to getting the shopping rush.

Boudreaux then showed viewers a three-column list she created in her Notes app.

“Y’all know I love a list, and this is my list titled ‘Impulse Avoidance,’ and here’s how it goes,” she stated.

She pointed to the first column and said, “So, this is the thing that I wanted, the thing I almost impulse-bought, added to my cart, and almost checked out.”

Gesturing to the middle and last columns, respectively, Sierra continued, “The day that I found it or added it to the cart, and then how much it was.”

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Boudreaux encouraged her viewers, saying, “If your list gets long like mine, you’re not gonna shame yourself, right? Because we live in an age where we’re constantly being sold to. That is not your fault, but it is your responsibility to make sure you keep yourself [on] track for your financial goals.”

She then went over just what to do to get that dopamine hit. “At the end of the month … you’re gonna add up this entire column of everything it would have cost,” she said. “This month alone, and the month is not over, I almost impulse bought $750 worth of stuff.”

“So at the end of the month, whatever my number adds up to, I’m gonna divide it in half,” she instructed. “Half is gonna go into savings. Half I’m gonna do whatever I want with.”

“Half is important because you’re honoring your commitment to save and then also rewarding yourself for that, and that is where the dopamine hit comes from,” Boudreaux explained. “And with that half you’re keeping, this is the time to go through your list and see, after you’ve sat on it for a little bit if there’s anything you actually do want.”

Retail therapy is not a myth. Shopping truly does give us a dopamine rush.

Clinical psychologist Scott Bea, PsyD, told the Cleveland Clinic, “Research suggests there’s actually a lot of psychological and therapeutic value when you’re shopping — if done in moderation, of course.”

Bea also explained that the dopamine release from shopping does not only come when you make a purchase. It actually comes from the experience as a whole.

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“Some think the dopamine is released when you actually get a reward or purchase an item, but it begins before you make a purchase as you’re delighting in all the possibilities. It’s about the whole journey,” Bea stated.

This really lends even more credibility to Boudreaux’s dopamine theory. If you experience a dopamine release while just performing the action of shopping without actually making a purchase, that means that just making the list of things you would like to purchase can give you that dopamine hit she talked about.

Few things can be as beneficial as saving money. Doing so while still experiencing the dopamine that comes with shopping sounds like a win.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.