Oniomaniac Movie Just in Time for Valentine's Day

Oniomania is the inability to control one's desire to shop, or a compulsive shopping disorder. Although not formally recognized by the American psychiatric community as a disease, oniomania seems to have become nearly endemic in the country during the last 20 years. Easy credit, some say too ease, has allowed people to buy almost anything they want any time they want regardless of the relationship between the price tag and their income. For many, oniomania is nothing to laugh at, but that's just what Jerry Bruckheimer hopes you'll do when you head to the theaters starting February 13^th to see his latest film: "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

Compulsive Shopping

The movie is based upon the book of the same name and its sequel "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" by Sophie Kinsella. Although based around hapless oniomaniac Rebecca Bloomwood, played by Isla Fisher, trying to get her spending under control, it is essentially another romantic comedy movie to which unwilling men will be dragged by their significant others during the Valentine's Day weekend. Just be sure not to charge those movie tickets to your credit card balance is already suffering from your own compulsive shopping habits.

The Science of Effective Gift Giving

Although, when you think about it, Valentine's Day is a day made for extravagant purchases. With DeBeers trying to convince you to buy a stone they found on the ground for several months salary, the Dairy Council recommending chocolates, and florists around the country advising that nothing will brighten her day like a bouquet of dead plants delivered to her office, you might be excused for opting for dinner and movie instead. In fact, a recent study conducted by Ryan Howell and Graham Hill at San Francisco State University found that buying experience based gifts results in greater satisfaction than material objects.

Stay Happier with Experienced Based Gifts

The research suggests that experiential gifts create deeper and longer lasting memories as well. "Purchased experiences provide memory capital," Howell said. "We don't tend to get bored of happy memories like we do with a material object." So,whether you are an oniomaniac or not, focusing your purchases on enriching experiences that allow you and your significant other to build happy memories that involve each other is more likely to make you both happy and help you stay that way for longer. So this Valentine's Day, try a movie about shopping, Like Bruckheimer's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" instead of actually shopping. It'll certainly be easier on your wallet.

Source:

San Francisco State University (2009, February 7). Buying Experiences, Not Possessions, Leads To Greater Happiness. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 11, 2009.