CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It appears many people in Illinois are trying to improve their moods during the pandemic by shopping online for things they don't necessarily need.
About half of the roughly 3,000 Illinoisans who responded to a survey by American Addiction Centers admitted to engaging in what is called "emotional spending."
Mia Rusev, a licensed clinical social worker at Central DuPage Hospital, said for some people shopping generates chemicals in the body including serotonin and dopamine. They can improve mood but can also become addictive.
Rusev said there are other ways to get bodies to produce those chemicals.
One way is to spend more time with friends or family, as long as it can be done safely. Another is exercise.
