The Hidden Psychology of Black Friday - How do shops manipulate us (and make calm aunties fist-fight over PlayStations)?
Inner peace vs retail rage - How do shops design our experience to remove our decisions from us and get us to FOMO into all sorts of weird situations?
Inner Peace vs Retail Rage - How do shops design our experience to remove our decisions and make us to FOMO into all sorts of weird situations?
This episode peels back the slick banners and countdown timers to show the tiny psychological tricks that turn shoppers into hunters. Scarcity, anchoring, and anticipation aren’t marketing buzzwords — they’re brain hacks.
Retailers riff off ancient instincts: spot a rare fruit, grab it. Online, those instincts run on caffeine and fast clicks. The result? We chase status, reassurance, and an imagined better life via objects.
Three actionable takeaways:
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Pause 24 hours before you buy to let impulse die.
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Flag “true needs” vs “story purchases” in a list.
- Reframe purchases as stories you’ll tell later.
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Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
CHAPTERS
00:00 The Contradiction of Black Friday
00:42 A Brief History of Black Friday
01:02 The Psychology Behind Sales
06:28 The Power of Anticipation
06:47 The Perfect Storm of Psychological Triggers
07:57 Case Studies of Black Friday Madness
09:18 The Dark Side of Black Friday
09:41 The Role of Deindividuation and Competition
10:15 Social Contagion and Polyvagal Theory
10:48 Acts of Kindness Amidst the Chaos
12:19 Cyber Monday and Online Shopping
12:44 The Shift to Online Shopping
16:26 The Environmental Cost of Black Friday
18:32 Global Perspectives on Black Friday
18:44 Black Friday in Brazil and France
19:40 Singles Day in China
20:18 Human Nature Revealed by Black Friday
20:31 The Irrationality of Value
21:35 The Social Dynamics of Black Friday
22:18 Final Thoughts on Black Friday
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