What had just occurred, was a depressing driving lesson, with an irritable instructor, consequent to which , I definitely needed some shopping therapy. I was not aware of this need, but just happened - to find myself suddenly self in a large store. The kind of mega store you go into to buy pears, and leave with a whole shopping trolley full of things, and over laden heavy bags which pull your arms out of their sockets, and scorch your palms with plastic bag scars.
When I got to the check out- the card reading machine- did not work- I had to leave the stuffed bags next to the counter- and go look for an ATM machine in the vicinity- to prove to my self that yes the money is still on the account and- than having withdrawn a 500, I stopped for an instant to consider. Do I actually need all the things I had shopped for moments ago? I could use those things I decided. I would use all those things I confirmed. And I can live without all of those things I had carefully placed in the shopping trolley.
The point of my embarking on this shopping theme -was not to conform to the cliche about women's need for shopping, or to bitch about the materialistic mentality of people today who suffer from shopping addiction due to mass attack of evil advertising and industry.
But- the opposite.I have come to believe there is a very deep set reason in the human psyche as to why we love shopping.
You want to hear me out.? I am not an anthropologist- but just another girl blogger- so I am not going to research seriously this subject- though I do believe that there would be plenty of historical and scientific research that would support my theory - If I did investigate.
The reason we love shopping so much- dates back to pre history. It dates as far back as our ancestors being amoebas, than a bit more recent times say 40 000 years back to the realm of humanoid tribes, and still more recently..The reason we love shopping is genetic, and somewhere mixed up with our survival in the wild instincts.
We love shopping because for millions of years- throughout evolution- our ancestors have hunted for food. What ever animal form they may have been- they would set out on a hungry tummy- and go look for some food. Every time they would be insecure of finding food- and would feel a rush of adrenalin as they located their food out- and more adrenalin as they hunted it down- and consumed it.
Some kind of pleasure hormone must have been released at that point- the finding /hunting/ succeeded in hunt moment. The successful hunt produces a soothing, calming feeling of tranquillity, for soon after that moment the hunter knows he will be satisfied, and not hungry, and can afford to rest, sleep, relax for a while. Before getting to be hungry again and re starting the hunting process.
Euphoria was felt also- when man was surprised by nature, and chanced upon useful things other than food- minerals, shells, rocks, bones, clay..
Living in cities we have developed industrialised systems of obtaining food-and have removed our self from the need to hunt-animals or plants. We have changed the system of hunting for food drastically. To be able to obtain food instead of going to look for food directly- we have to spend years educating our self to ensure we can at some point be employed, and than we look for a job unrelated completely to food- working at that job ensures we obtain paper- or digital points- money- with which we than go "hunt" for food in the original sense - at selected organised food merchants and stores instead of the great out doors.
Despite the fact we have made things very complicated- we still have a burning need- to go " hunt". This need has been with us for thousands of years and its unlikely do disappear after only a few generations of Man living in the city. Shopping has simply replaced hunting. The effect of shopping is the same as the effect of the hunt. First we wonder about with a loose purpose or even without one , than we are thrilled at a discovery of a something , than we are surprised by the discovery of the unexpected good thing, than we get the rush of adrenalin for buying and possessing the thing, and for a little while we float in that lovely feeling of satiety and tranquillity, our ancestors would have felt on finding and picking a huge bush of wild berries or killing a bison.
No wonder we sometimes need shopping therapy- we know deep inside that a discovery of something unexpected and the obtaining of it will produce momentary euphoria, which will subdue any pre felt negativity.
Away from hunting in shops - among people in living in cities- a large number have started digging in bins. Some may have started that out of financial hardships- but they all become addicted to the surprise factor- the what may be inside and the little pleasure of finding something useful. Less grungy version of this are people who stalk- car boor sales, garage sales, second hand shops.. Those places are in fact completely addictive- because they are filled with the unpredictable, -they are closer to a real hunt than shopping in a specialised store is- anything may be found in those places- so the euphoria is high, and the prices are lower thus making it possible to have more euphoria moments.
The need to hunt, and the joy felt at discovering some random unexpected surprise, are still very much a part of mans nature, I believe centuries and thousands of years will not wash away the shopping need as long as man continues to live in the city. If men dislocate to go live in the nature- and re engage their instincts into being euphoric when discovering mother nature's gifts- that individual may become less of a shopping holic.
Having consumed the thrill of the hunt, the euphoria of the discovery, the satisfaction of having it all in my trolley, in my own bags to take home. I remembered I had come to just pick up pears, which I had not found- what would I do with the four bags full of random stuff? So, having cured my self of a bad mood during the shopping trip- for the first time, I just put the money from the ATM into the purse, and decided well- its their own fault that the card machine did not work at the till, as for me there was no thrill in going back to hunt ready filled bags. Thus without plastic bag scars on the palms, not crunched over like the hunchback of notredame, light as a breese I crossed the street to the other side.
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