Can’t stop impulse shopping? A psychologist explains what’s really going on

Have you ever felt an overwhelming urge to just do something on a whim? Maybe it’s heading out to buy something you don’t need, raiding the fridge when you’re not even hungry, or impulsively booking a new tattoo. 

You might be a highly sensitive person. We often associate high sensitivity with a constant search for peace, quiet, and solitude, but the human mind is far more complex and contradictory. Paradoxically, an overload of stimuli can drive some people to seek out even more intensity.

To debunk the myths and get to the bottom of what’s really going on with impulses and Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), we spoke to Esther Boada, psychologist and director of Centre Sukha in Barcelona.

She’s keen to make one thing clear straight off the bat: science doesn’t back up the stigmas often peddled on social media. “First of all, there are no studies to suggest that HSPs spend more money,” she points out.

However, she reveals a crucial nuance within this personality profile: “It’s true that some HSPs also display a trait known as High Sensation Seeking.”

To help explain how this need for stimulation works in the brain, the expert draws a parallel with other neuropsychological conditions: “In ADHD, for example, there’s far more scientific evidence for this sensation-seeking trait. The most widely accepted neuropsychological explanation centers on the dopaminergic system.”

“When this trait is present, people generally need higher levels of stimulation to stay engaged and focused, so they seek out activities that offer a quick or intense hit of reward. But as a rule, they still need calm because they get overstimulated so easily.”

The brain mechanism behind sudden urges and retail therapy

The big challenge for HSPs is figuring out how to navigate a world they already find overwhelming. This is where habits like eating, shopping, or getting a tattoo come into play, as Boada explains.

“These behaviours can act as a way of regulating emotions,” she says. “Highly sensitive people tend to experience feelings, stimuli and life in general with incredible intensity. When they lack the tools to manage what they’re feeling, they might turn to certain habits that offer immediate relief, distraction or comfort.”

Yet it isn’t always just a knee-jerk reaction to soothe anxiety. In many cases, high sensitivity is chasing something much deeper: a connection with art and one’s own personal story.

“Some highly sensitive people also have a strong urge to seek out new sensations and meaning. In these cases, certain experiences can help them express, symbolise, or give shape to profound internal feelings,” the expert explains.

“For instance, getting a tattoo wouldn’t necessarily be an impulsive act—it could actually be a way of marking a life experience, an intense emotion or a key part of who they are.”

Coping mechanism or red flag? When impulsive habits take over

Of course, regardless of your financial situation, the alarm bells should start ringing if these actions become a go-to escape route from emotional discomfort—something Boada is quick to warn against.

“The problem isn’t usually with the behaviour itself, but in the purpose that it serves,” she explains. “If I shop, eat or need a new experience every time I feel empty, bored, stressed or emotionally overwhelmed, I’m likely using that behaviour to regulate something internally.”

When faced with this, the million-dollar question for many is: how do you keep it in check? The psychologist’s answer, however, calls for a complete change of mindset. 

“Rather than trying to control it, the key is understanding,” she advises. “Before you act, it’s worth asking yourself what you actually need in that moment. More often than not, behind an impulsive purchase or comfort eating, you’ll find exhaustion, overstimulation, boredom, loneliness or simply a need for proper self-care.”

Rather than reaching for drastic or restrictive quick fixes, the expert champions a gentle, step-by-step approach that works with an individual’s nature, not against it.

“HSPs generally benefit most from learning to regulate their emotions, tuning into their needs before things pile up, and finding healthy ways to seek out novelty, pleasure and rest without relying solely on shopping or food,” she explains.

She also highlights a vital point: “It’s not an attempt to stop feeling so intensely, but instead to learn to build a healthier relationship with that intensity.”

“In therapy, we don’t look at these behaviours in isolation; we consider the whole person and the wider context,” she says. “Everyone is unique, so it’s essential to understand what purpose that habit serves in their life and just how much distress or disruption it’s actually causing them.”

How to Shift from Self-Criticism to Understanding Your Needs

The specialist concludes with a valuable reflection that transforms how we view these impulses, inviting us to be far kinder to ourselves.

“We often focus on trying to eliminate the things that worry us—impulsive shopping, overeating, or repetitive habits—but first, we need to understand what need those behaviours are actually fulfilling,” she says.

“In psychology, we know that habits rarely stick around for no reason. They generally serve a purpose and offer something to the individual, even if they end up having negative consequences in the long run.”

Along these lines, the goal in therapy isn’t simply to make the behaviour vanish, but “to help the person find healthier, more adaptive ways of meeting that same need.”

“Once we understand the function behind a behaviour, we stop seeing it as a problem to be wiped out and start seeing it as a coping mechanism that, at some point, helped that person navigate what they were going through.”