Buying a brand new dress or fabulous handbag can feel great, but can shopping actually make someone feel better about the problems in his or her life?
Retail therapy is a common way to brighten up a bad day, but the experts say it may not be as beneficial as it seems.
Terrence Shulman, founder of The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending & Hoarding, joined HuffPost Live's Caitlyn Becker to discuss what happens when buying things to feel better turns into shopping addiction.
Spending money to prompt a better mood is quite common, whether it means buying clothes and shoes, going out to nice dinners or even gambling, Shulman said.
"The problem becomes when you continue to go to the same well to cure your loneliness but it actually causes more problems that will cause more loneliness," he said.
Shopping can be a dangerous vice because of the issues it often causes in relationships, where shared finances can be a problem.
"Shopping in particular, what we know is it's one of the primary reasons people have difficulty in their intimate relationships, arguments about money," he explained. "But if you keep shopping because you're not getting the love you want and probably hiding it from your beloved, it will probably push your further apart and it becomes a vicious cycle."
See the full segment on retail therapy at HuffPost Live HERE.
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