Compulsive Buying Behavior and Its Psychological Implications

Compulsive buying behavior (CBB) is characterised by an overwhelming urge to purchase goods or services despite adverse personal, social and financial consequences. Recognised increasingly as a form of behavioural addiction, it shares core features with substance dependence—namely loss of control, mood modification, tolerance and withdrawal. Individuals with CBB often report elevated levels of anxiety, depression and diminished self-esteem, and they may engage in purchasing as an emotion-regulation strategy. Technological advances, particularly the ubiquity of smartphones and seamless e-commerce, have amplified exposure to shopping cues and reduced barriers to purchase, further entrenching maladaptive patterns. Psychological research has identified key vulnerability factors such as low self-regulation, trait impulsivity (including both negative and positive urgency), fear of missing out and diminished cognitive control. Clinically, CBB is associated with debt accumulation, relationship conflict and impaired occupational functioning. Across cultures, prevalence estimates vary but consistently highlight higher rates among women and younger cohorts. Interventions are increasingly focused on enhancing self-regulation capacities, restructuring maladaptive beliefs about buying, and developing alternative coping strategies. Screening instruments and diagnostic criteria continue to evolve to capture the complexity of CBB and its overlap with other behavioural addictions.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

Recent work has underscored the pivotal role of self-regulation in online shopping addiction. A large‐scale survey of young adults demonstrated that poor impulse control in digital environments and difficulties in managing smartphone use predict higher levels of online shopping addiction, which in turn lead to indebtedness and dissatisfaction with personal money management. This study highlights the disruptive influence of distractive stimuli and suggests that training in self-regulatory strategies and financial literacy can mitigate risk.

Research focusing on Generation Z consumers has revealed a close association between smartphone addiction and online compulsive buying. Using a stimulus-organism-response framework, investigators showed that mood regulatory behaviours and immersive ‘flow’ experiences during smartphone use strengthen the link between device overuse and compulsive purchase patterns. Findings point to the need for interventions that target both device habits and emotional triggers to curb maladaptive buying.

Foundational assessment work introduced a concise instrument for measuring shopping addiction within an addiction framework. This brief scale, built on core addiction criteria such as salience, tolerance and relapse, demonstrated robust psychometric properties across tens of thousands of participants. It has become a widely used screening tool to identify at-risk individuals and to facilitate early intervention strategies.

Compulsive Buying Behavior and Its Psychological Implications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in compulsive buying behavior and its psychological implications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Behavioural addiction: A non-substance disorder characterised by compulsive engagement in rewarding behaviours despite negative outcomes.

Self-regulation: The capacity to modulate impulses, emotions and behaviours to achieve long-term goals.

Smartphone addiction: Excessive, uncontrolled use of smartphones leading to functional impairment and distress.

Flow experience: A state of intense focus and enjoyment in an activity, often resulting in loss of temporal awareness.

Mood regulatory behaviours: Actions taken to alter one’s emotional state, which in CBB can involve purchasing as a coping mechanism.

References

1. Young adults' online shopping addiction: The role of self‐regulation and smartphone use. International Journal of Consumer Studies (2023).
2. Glued to your phone? Generation Z's smartphone addiction and online compulsive buying. Computers in Human Behavior (2022).
3. The Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale: reliability and validity of a brief screening test. Frontiers in Psychology (2015).
4. Negative and positive urgency may both be risk factors for compulsive buying. Journal of Behavioral Addictions (2014).
5. Compulsive Buying Behavior: Clinical Comparison with Other Behavioral Addictions. Frontiers in Psychology (2016).
6. The dark side of brands: Exploring fear of missing out, obsessive brand passion, and compulsive buying. Journal of Business Research (2025).
7. Cultural Aspects of Compulsive Buying in Emerging and Developed Economies: a Cross Cultural Study in Compulsive Buying. Organizations and Markets in Emerging Economies (2013).