The University of Hertfordshire, UK, has published a study indicating more than half of women use shopping to mitigate sadness.

Seventy-nine percent of women would shop to cheer themselves up, while 60 percent actually cite feeling low as a reason to go out and overspend; 40 percent cite depression.

Karen Pine, author of the study, compares the emotional regulation to alcohol or drug use. She notes 25 percent of women experience regret, guilt, or shame after their purchases, while 70 percent worried about their finances despite their shopping.

Problem shopping is an impulse control disorder, similar to gambling. An estimated 6 percent of the US is affected by compulsive shopping, about half of whom are men.