The Psychology Behind the Thrift Hunt
Thrifting is the activity of searching and buying used goods from second-hand stores. Thrifting is not only about being sustainable and saving money, it’s also deeply connected to our brain.
Second-hand shopping has one golden rule: don’t go thrifting looking for something, let things find you. Looking for something specific will most likely give you nothing and will only bring you frustration of not getting what you hoped to find.
Scientists have known for a long time that humans enjoy tasks involving discovery and uncertainty , as well as having a psychologically deep-seated, primal urge to search for something we need or want. Thrifting brings both of those discoveries together, you search through things never knowing what comes next and then find something you want. Finding something unique and cool, things that have the “WOW” or “OMG” effect, brings pleasure to our brain, also known as the dopamine effect.
When you discover something wonderful and unexpected, your brain releases dopamine - the neurotransmitter related to motivation, reward and pleasure. The same chemical is also being released while you listen to a song you like, enjoy food or achieve something great.
Behavioral psychology brings out another point in thrifting: unpredictable reward. Rewards that arrive on surprise trigger stronger dopamine releases than the ones that are predictable. The discipline has also discovered another effect - the “effort justification effect”. To put it simply, the harder we work for something, the more we value it. Connecting this effect with thrifting means that finding a 15$ vintage Chanel bag feels better than buying an 8,000$ new bag from the Chanel e-store, because searching from the thrift store takes more time and energy than a few clicks on a website.
Finding something valuable as a bargain also comes with a story to tell, “Oh yeah, I found this bag from Goodwill,” while you wouldn’t tell a story about ordering something online. Second-hand shopping changes every purchase into something earned and everything earned into something worth keeping.
Our thrifting habits are connected to science and psychology more than we think. The key between the thrift hunt and our brain is dopamine - thrift hunting brings us joy and good finds pleasure. Next time, when you’re riding a high after finding something unique, you’ll understand why!
XOXO, The Fashion Stock Market
