Have you ever gone shopping just to cheer yourself up? While many think that retail therapy is wasteful, there are actually science-proven psychological benefits to shopping. Keep on reading to find out why shopping makes you happier!
1. Reduce lingering sadness
Sadness is strongly associated with the notion of situational forces causing undesirable outcomes in one’s life. While there are many ways to cope with sadness, many claim that retail therapy is effective in regulating sadness. Guess what, this claim is supported by scientific evidence!
Shopping is found to restore or increase a sense of control among shoppers. Through making shopping choices (e.g. which brand to choose, what to purchase), shoppers regain control of their environment, which helps alleviate lingering sadness.
2. Sensory stimulation = positive distraction
While shopping, consumers are exposed to a wide array of sensory details. For example:
- A physical store’s interior design (visual)
- Freshly brewed Starbucks coffee (smell)
- Different fabrics in H&M (tactile)
These sensory details can be a distraction from our overwhelming emotions, allowing us to attend to our feelings when we’re ready. Tactile stimulation, for example, is found to reduce the symptoms of anxiety!
3. Social interactions promote mental health
Shopping is one of the ways to fulfil our needs for social interactions, be it texting with an online seller, or asking a salesperson for more product information. The best thing is that we can enjoy these social interactions even when we shop alone!
Social interactions are crucial in ensuring our emotional health, as humans are inherently social. By fostering a strong community bond, we obtain a sense of belonging and security, which helps boost our confidence.
4. The surge of dopamine
Window shopping can be equally therapeutic! As we shop, we tend to anticipate the “rewards” (e.g. potential purchases) that are coming our way. This anticipation triggers the production of dopamine, the feel-good hormone, in our brains.
At times when we end up not buying anything, the anticipation alone is enough to alleviate feelings of stress and sadness. This also applies to online shopping, as anticipation occurs when we wait for our parcels to be delivered to us.
5. Saving money boosts happiness
Dopamine is also released when we manage to save money or minimise our expenditures. Think about the times you found some crazy discounts and amazing deals! Studies have also shown that savers tend to be more confident, calm, and optimistic than non-savers.
Not only that, spending responsibly and saving money contribute to our financial stability, which can improve our personal finances in the long run.
We don’t know about you, but we do feel a great sense of accomplishment when we manage to save money whether through exclusive, high-value deals or instant rewards! In fact, if you’re looking to enjoy all these perks and more during your year-end shopping, we definitely recommend checking out BLINK by BonusLink!
From now ’til 31st December ONLY, BLINK App users can unlock exclusive deals at BLINKFest including discounted vouchers, extra 19,600 BonusLink Points*, and MORE!
BLINK App is a mobile app launched by BonusLink that allows users to track and redeem BonusLink Points. Recently, BonusLink also organised the BLINKFest, where Malaysians can get TONS of exclusive deals!
Over the course of 10 weeks, BLINKFest will offer a wide range of discount vouchers based on various weekly themes, including School Holiday, Sugar Rush, Super BLINK Week, and MORE! Here are just some of the discounts you can expect:
- 10% OFF Shopee RM20 & RM30 vouchers
- 5% OFF Shell Fuel RM20 & RM30 vouchers
- 91% OFF EatCakeToday RM10 Voucher
- 50% OFF Parkson RM10 voucher + extra 1,000 BonusLink Points (for first 350 purchases over RM150)
- 25% OFF Tealive RM10 Voucher
- 10% OFF RM50 Village Grocer voucher
Before you shop from your favourite brands, be sure to follow the simple steps below to claim those exclusive vouchers:
- Launch the BLINK App and select a voucher of your choice.
- Make a payment or claim the voucher using BonusLink Points.
- Redeem the voucher before expiration. You can also transfer the voucher to other BLINK App users as a gift!
Wait, that’s not it! New BLINK App users who register on the app can enjoy a bunch of limited-time offers too, including:
- RM4 Shopee voucher / RM4 Shell voucher / 200 BonusLink Points
- Week 3 (31st Oct – 6th Nov): RM10 Tealive voucher
- Week 7 (28th Nov – 4th Dec): Two Root Beers from A&W
- Week 9 (12th – 18th Dec): Free Starbucks tumbler worth RM40
Besides, new and existing BLINK App users alike can also enjoy Extra 200 BonusLink Points* when they spend a minimum of RM5 (at participating brands) and pay with BLINKIT, the Scan & Pay feature on the BLINK App! What’s more, beginning 1st November, BLINK App and Visa users can get Extra BonusLink Points just by:
- Purchasing vouchers with Visa: 800 Points*
- Performing BLINKIT transactions with Visa: 1,000 Points*
- Using AmBank BonusLink Visa Card: 100 Points*
- Spending a cumulative of RM300: 5,000 Points*
*Terms & conditions apply
This means that you’ll be rewarded with 1,200 BonusLink Points when you perform BLINKIT transactions with Visa. And if you purchase a voucher with Visa, you’ll get another 800 BonusLink Points while enjoying the discount on the voucher!
Wahhh, that’s a lot of Points and discounts! Wondering how you can go cashless with BLINKIT? Follow these steps:
- Launch the BLINK App, select BLINKIT and scan the partner’s QR code.
- Make a payment through multiple payment methods (make sure to link your credit or debit card beforehand) or BonusLink Points.
- Get extra Points or cashback instantly.
That’s it, easy peasy! You can finally make use of the BonusLink Points you’ve been accumulating over the years!
So, what are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on these limited-time promos! Download the BLINK App and start collecting Points while you enjoy all the exclusive deals! You can find the BLINK App on:
For more information regarding BLINKFest, visit their official website. Don’t forget to follow BonusLink on social media too:
