How to Money · Friday, September 18, 2026
The Washington Post highlighted how emotions, particularly the desire for a 'dopamine hit,' lead to impulse purchases, especially when people are scrolling on their phones before bed. The hosts suggest developing new habits, such as leaving phones out of the bedroom or implementing a 24-hour delay before purchasing, to combat this. They also propose creating a 'dopamine menu' of alternative activities to fulfill emotional needs without leading to financial harm.
“Emotions and how they get the best of us when it comes to spending. And I think this is also just a total, complete reality of our time that what do people tend to do in bed? They're scrolling, whether that's through videos or whether that's through shopping sites.”
“And so we might need different habits, whether that's leaving the phone out of the bedroom or at least at minimum having some sort of 24-hour delay. We stick it in the cart, but we don't click purchase. And we come back tomorrow in the morning with a fresh set of eyes to see whether or not we actually want to buy that item.”
“Essentially creating a list, a very easily accessible list of things that you can do when you feel those urges, right? Like when you are feeling a little down, normally you go shopping. Well, instead you call a friend. Or instead, you go for a hike or you go for a run.”