The 5 psychological effects of Black Friday

What happened to our brains during Black Friday? Let's see how it affects us mentally.

As you well know, Black Friday is the last Friday of November and happens to be so famous for its discounts in most stores and online platforms. Stores get crowded and consumerism prevails in cities. However, individuals normalize it without realizing what it all originates from.

In this article we will see the main psychological effects of Black Friday on our mind..

The psychological effects of Black Friday

For all the curious people who are wondering, this is what happens to us before this avalanche of discounts and discounts that makes us buy disproportionately.

1. Appearance of the need

We are presented with offers that have an expiration date, which the urgency of acquiring the product even if we do not need it.. It gives us the impression that if we miss the opportunity we will regret it. From this moment on, the person will think that he/she needs it, or rather, he/she has been made to think that he/she needs it and that if he/she does not buy it, he/she will feel guilty.

In addition, purchases are justified due to the proximity of Christmas, which progressively increases the term of urgency, and there no longer escape the clutches of uncontrolled consumerism.

2. Anticipation

Companies plan for this day in advance. To do so, they carry out major marketing campaigns, whether by e-mail, television, billboards or radio.

In short, they fight for the attention of potential customers, they fight for the attention of potential customersIn short, they fight for the attention of potential customers, generating different advertising campaigns to reach all buyer profiles. They achieve this by presenting their promotions as soon as possible and repeatedly, appealing to our most primal emotions, activating our limbic system, and thus favoring our memory of the brand.

3. Let the offer slip away or be happy?

We have already seen that brands play with our emotions in order to get more buyers.. However, they also generate needs that are not congruent with the real ones. In this battle, during purchases, perceived needs win out.

So as not to risk customers not buying, there is careful planning. They start by presenting advertisements to make us fantasize about getting that product, which we can't afford today.that we can't buy today. We imagine what it would be like to have it, even believing that we need it. Finally, it becomes an activity that activates the pleasure centers; there is a release of dopamine and endocrines producing a sense of well-being.

4. When it comes to shopping, we put critical thinking aside.

The fact of getting a discounted object produces pleasure, since we think that today and only today we will have the opportunity to obtain the much desired product. Likewise, through marketing strategies, prices are lowered a little, even though they are still high. In spite of that, they make sure to make the discount visible for the potential customer to see it.and present it to them as unique, so that they will finally buy it. In short, we do not buy rationally.

This also happens in online shopping, and there is the added convenience factor, as there are no crowds or queues, which facilitates the payment process. This increases impulsivityThe use of a credit card to pay and people are less conscious of spending.

5. Social pressure

We see that in our environment, most people will take advantage of the offers to treat themselves.

We do not want to feel excluded or go outside the norm.. We wonder if it is worth spending that money now, some acquaintances try to convince us of the bargains, we see more and more ads, and in the face of such pressure in the end some need is generated. Finally, we fall into the trap and how can we not... we end up consuming.

How can we mitigate the effects of consumerism?

After this tour through the minds of consumers we can better understand why Black Friday is such a triumph and how to reduce it.and how to reduce it. Knowledge is the first step to avoid excessive and unnecessary consumption. Let's be more cautious so as not to harm ourselves. As Zygmunt Bauman said, "Consumerism promises something it cannot deliver: universal happiness. And it pretends to solve the problem of freedom by reducing it to the freedom of the consumer".