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America’s Dopamine-Fueled Shopping Addiction
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America’s Dopamine-Fueled Shopping Addiction

Jackie Lay
The Atlantic, 2019
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Editorial Rating

7

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Recommendation

Americans like to shop. Jackie Lay of The Atlantic explores this trend and stumbles upon some disturbing insights. Be warned: This video exhibits consumerism at its most crass. Lay explores the biological and historical roots of America’s shopping addiction and sketches what it means for individuals and the globe. Although she highlights a growing social shift, it may not be unraveling fast enough to veer Earth away from a crash course with disaster.

Take-Aways

  • Americans are addicted to shopping, and online shopping makes buying cheap goods even easier, exacerbating the trend.
  • There’s an evolutionary basis for shopping addiction: In prehistoric times, those who accumulated more food and possessions were more likely to survive.
  • When consumers shop, they get a “dopamine hit.” Online shoppers experience that rush twice – once at the time of purchase and once on delivery of the goods.

About the Speaker

Jackie Lay is the art director for video and an animator at The Atlantic.

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