Feeling sad? Shop!

A study, quoted by Daily Mail, mentioned that buying something nice for oneself at the shops has a "lasting positive impact on mood" and leaves "few, if any negative emotional side effects."

Researchers interviewed hundreds of respondents at shopping centres and asked them to keep diaries monitoring their shopping habits, moods and buys they regretted. Study showed that 62 percent bought something to cheer themselves up. Another 28 percent responded that they were shopping as a form of celebration and individuals who trooped to the shop in bad mood were more likely to make an impulsive purchase.

The study, Retail therapy: A strategic effort to improve mood, by Selin Atalay and Margaret Meloy and published in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing in the U.S., concluded: "Retail therapy purchases were overwhelmingly beneficial, leading to mood boosts and no regrets or guilt." Haven't we all indeed experienced this?