Addicted to the mall

 What do you do for recreation? Do you swim, dance, play cards, garden, or read? Many people today prefer to spend their free time shopping. These people are called recreational shoppers. Recreational shoppers do not always buy something. They really enjoy the shopping experience.
Of course, many people like going to indoor malls. However, for recreational shoppers, the mall is more than stores. For them, the mall represents happiness and fulfillment. For these people, a visit to the mall is an adventure. In fact, for many recreational shoppers, the art of looking for and buying something is more fun than owning it.

Recently, a group of psychologists studied recreational shopping. First, they used tests to identify recreational shoppers. Then they compared recreational shoppers with ordinary shoppers. The psychologists discovered that the two groups were different. Recreational shoppers were usually younger, less self-confident, and more often female. In addition, they were more interested in material things and had less self-control.

The recreational shoppers also went shopping when they felt worried, angry, or depressed. Ordinary shoppers didn't. Most of the recreational shoppers said buying something helped them feel better-it made them happy. Their negative feelings went away. Many recreational shoppers also did something unusual while they were shopping. They pretended that they were different people with different lives.

Of course, shopping is an important part of our contemporary consumer society. We spend a lot of time in malls. In a recent study, people spent most of their time at home, at work, and in school. Shopping malls ranked fourth. However, in the future, will we think of recreational shopping as an addiction like smoking or drinking?

A. Read the statements and write true (T) or false (F).

1. All people who shop are recreational shoppers.

2. Recreational shoppers go shopping for fun.

3. Recreational shoppers love to own things.

4. Most shoppers dislike shopping.

5. Psychologists compared ordinary shoppers and recreational

shoppers.

6. Recreational shoppers go shopping when they are sad.

7. Most recreational shoppers are men.

8. People spend more time in shopping malls than they do at work.

B. Answer the questions.

1. Compare the two groups of recreational shoppers and ordinary shoppers. Which one is more materialistic, older, more self-confident, has less self-control?

2. Choose all that apply. While they are shopping, recreational shoppers ...

a. feel upset.

b. pretend they are different people.

c. are excited.

d. steal things.