Does Shopping Make Us Happy?

Last night I was talking with Daniel Goleman about our upcoming webinar during the 24EQ Virtual Conference — his session is leveraging emotional intelligence to create environmental and business sustainability.  Here’s how to sign up – http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3471067055 – some seats are still available and the event is free. I highly recommend this!

Dan mentioned that people who are happier consume less.  Yet so often people talk about “retail therapy” and how shopping makes them feel better.  It reminded me of this photo I took this week at a mall here in Kuala Lumpur – shown to the right.  ”Shoes make me happy.  I’m superficial.  Whatever.”

But Goleman’s data suggests otherwise.  What do you think?  Can real happiness be found in a shoe shop?  ”I’ll take a pair of the gold slides, size happy…”

I suspect that people, especially women in this case, are being “sold a bill of goods” along with the shoes — with a pervasive message that the yearning we feel from a void in meaning and connection is a signal to shop.