Though most people associate compulsive shopping, or “shopaholism,” with women, studies show that men are just as likely as women to compulsively shop. Men and women spend about the same amount on discretionary items, they just spend it on different things. Women are more likely to spend money on clothing, and men spend an equal amount on restaurants, transportation and electronic gadgets.
More shopping statistics:
It’s estimated that 5-10 percent of adults in the United States are compulsive shoppers. Psychologically, compulsive shopping is tied into both hoarding and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The behavior is officially known as compulsive buying disorder, or oniomania.
The cause of oniomania is not clear, but theories range from childhood trauma to advertising overload.
Most people who compulsively shop begin to do so in their late 20s and continue in chronic bouts for the rest of their lives unless they seek treatment.