The statement 'shopping is therapeutic' is semi-controversial. Many people think that it is said by shopping addicts whether it's online or in person, who just want a way to justify their addiction or their bad habit to spend money on things they probably don't need.

While many people do only throw around the term to justify them spending a lot of money on accessories and items they'll only use for a couple weeks before replacing them. But many people spend lots of money on things they use all the time.

There are tons of people out there who find spending hours in a mall (strip mall or regular) as relaxing as hours at a spa. It may seem unusual to wrap one's head around this idea but the mall can be very therapeutic for people.

Shopping can be seen as a form of exercise. You're lifting bags that can be heavy and walking store to store, and walking all around the store. You're walking from the car to the store to Starbucks for a snack and then to another store for hours.

Shopping can improve the buyer's mental being - this is a proven fact. When you buy something nice, you immediately get excited and want to show it off and tell people about it. Buying even a onesie can immediately turn a bad mood into a cheerful and cozy one when you imagine all the shows you can binge-watch while snuggled in your new onesie.

You can also compare a shopping addiction to comfort buying. This is similar to the concept of comfort food where people go into the grocery store and buy tons of ice-cream or sweets or anything really to comfort them in their time of need. Comfort eating is to food addicts as comfort buying is to shopping addicts.

Makes you feel better, doesn't it?

You can think this is all word vomit, but it's really not. There have been scientific studies conducted that believe that shopping is a form of therapy - retail therapy.

When you enter a store and see something you like, your mind instantly races and conjures up an array of ways to use said item. This causes your mind to lose focus on whatever you were thinking about before and concentrate on all these new items you can own.

The reason why online shopping is so popular is because people don't have to leave their homes to buy things that get delivered (sometimes within two days) right to their mailbox. Many people see this as a type of mini mental vacation because you're just browsing online stores on the world wide web and reading reviews and picturing how things would look on you and in your humble abode. Online shopping can be deemed in a way as being more therapeutic than actual shopping because you don't have to carry endless shopping bags and make trips back and forth between the stores and your preferred mode of transportation - you just click order, wait a few days, and ta da!

However, when shopping at the mall or outlet, you get things immediately unless an item you want is not in stock and then you can just order it at the store to be either delivered to the store for you to pick up or to be delivered to your house itself.

That's hardly the point, though.

Obviously shopping can only be therapeutic if done in small doses and not major shopping sprees every single week, unless you have an endless amount of money lying around.

Buying things also boosts the economy and you know how we are all for helping the economy.

The only real problem shopping addicts can have, for the most part, is a hefty credit card bill and the problem of hoarding.

The bottom line is: shopping is therapeutic. Maybe not for all but definitely for shopping addicts.