Your brain craves the high of shopping — but what happens after the checkout?

One afternoon, my dear friend and neighbor Martha stopped by with a book in her hand.

“I saw this and thought of you,” she said, handing it over. It was a novel I’d mentioned in passing weeks earlier, something I had completely forgotten about.

It wasn’t a big deal. Just a small, thoughtful gesture. But somehow, it stuck with me. The fact that she remembered, that she made the effort — it gave me this weirdly disproportionate feeling of happiness.

The funny thing? A week later, when I finished the book and passed it on to another friend, I felt that same little rush all over again.

Turns out, science has a pretty good explanation for this. Our brains don’t just light up when we receive gifts — they react the same way when we give. MRI scans show that acts of generosity, sharing, and lending trigger the brain’s reward system in the same way as getting something new for ourselves.

And yet… what do we do most of the time? Chase the fleeting high of buying more stuff, instead of tapping into the kind of happiness that actually sticks.

Your Brain on Shopping: The Dopamine Trap

We’ve all felt the rush — the “shut up and take my money” feeling. The anticipation of unboxing something new, peeling off the packaging, holding a fresh purchase in our hands. It feels so good.

And that, my friend, is no accident.

When you’re about to buy something — especially something you’ve wanted for a while — your brain releases dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure, motivation, and reward. But here’s the kicker: dopamine levels spike before you buy, not after.

Meaning? The real thrill isn’t in owning something — it’s in wanting it.

This creates a loop that keeps us consuming (or keeps consuming us?):
— We see something new → dopamine surges → we feel excited.
— We buy it → dopamine fades → the excitement disappears.
— Our brain craves that excitement again → we start searching for the next thing.

This is why buying things often doesn’t bring lasting happiness. We adapt to what we own, and then we move on to the next thing — leading to an endless cycle of consumerism.

Retailers know this well.

Every Black Friday, every “limited edition drop,” every “Only 3 Left In Stock!” message is designed to hack your dopamine system. In the US alone, consumers spent $10.8 billion online during Black Friday 2024, proving just how strong this effect is.

And for what? A short-lived rush?

What if we could break the cycle — and experience more happiness, with less consumption?

Buying Happiness? Science Says Experiences (Not Stuff) Win Every Time

For years, psychologists have studied what actually makes people happier — and the results are ridiculously consistent.

Buying experiences brings more happiness than buying things.

• A 20-year study at Cornell University found that spending money on experiences — like travel, concerts, or shared activities — leads to higher long-term satisfaction than buying physical objects.
• Neuroscientists at Harvard discovered that helping others and feeling connected to a community lights up the brain’s reward system more than self-indulgent purchases.
• MRI scans show that when we engage in acts of generosity (like lending, sharing, or gifting), our brain reacts similarly to when we receive a gift ourselves.

The takeaway? It’s not just about spending less — it’s about spending differently.

So… does this mean we should all just stop buying things? Not exactly. But it does mean we should be a hell of a lot more intentional about what we buy — and what we don’t.

The Rise of the Sharing Economy: A New Way to Think About Possessions

For generations, ownership has been the default. Need something? Buy it.

But that’s starting to change.

The sharing economy is proving that in many cases, we don’t need to own something — we just need access to it.

In cities across the US and Europe, peer-to-peer rental platforms and community lending networks are reshaping how we think about possessions:

• Why own a drill you’ll use for 10 minutes when you can rent one from a neighbor for €5?
• Why buy a second car when car-sharing services can give you one on demand?
• Why let expensive camping gear gather dust when it can be shared, used, and enjoyed by others?

This shift is already happening:

• In Europe, 50% of Scandinavian consumers now participate in some form of sharing economy service.
• Germany, France, and the Netherlands are leading the movement toward local sharing networks.
• In the US, platforms that enable people to rent or share everyday items are rapidly growing.

And this isn’t just about saving money.

Why Sharing Feels Better Than Owning

From a neuroscience perspective, sharing activates the same brain regions associated with personal rewards. Studies show that when we:

• Lend or borrow something from a friend or neighbor, we experience an increase in oxytocin — the hormone linked to trust and social bonding (and a longer life, apparently, according to science!)
• Share resources instead of accumulating them, we experience a sense of relief and reduced stress.
• Engage in collective ownership (like co-working spaces or car-sharing), we feel a greater sense of belonging and purpose.

In contrast, owning too much can actually decrease happiness.

Psychologists have found that clutter increases stress, reduces cognitive clarity, and even contributes to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. The mental load of managing, maintaining, and organizing possessions is a hidden cost of ownership that we rarely acknowledge.

The Future: From Ownership to Access

The biggest shift we’re seeing today isn’t just in how much we own — it’s in how we think about ownership itself.

For decades, success was measured by what you had. Now, it’s increasingly measured by what you can access, experience, and share.

This doesn’t mean abandoning ownership entirely. It means rethinking what’s necessary to own and what’s better to borrow, rent, or share.

Imagine a world where:

• Fewer resources are wasted on unnecessary products.
• Communities are stronger because people rely on each other more.
• People spend less time managing things and more time enjoying life.

The science is clear: More stuff doesn’t equal more happiness. But sharing, connecting, and experiencing? That’s where the real rewards are.

So next time you find yourself about to hit “buy now,” ask yourself:
Do I really need to own this? Or is there a smarter way to access it?

Because happiness isn’t in what you buy — it’s in how you live.
And maybe, just maybe, the key to happiness was never in the shopping cart to begin with.

Sources:

• Neuroscience News: The Brain’s Shopping Pathways and Dopamine Loops
• Norton, Michael. Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending.
• ivault Whitepaper: www.ivault.io
• PWC Report: The Sharing Economy’s Global Growth
• Psychology Today, Steve Taylor Ph.D.: Why Getting Rid of Possessions Can Feel So Freeing