The Cut - Do You Shop More When You’re Stressed?

You’ll never be able to afford a home. You spent too much on takeout last night. The promotion you hoped to get this month is actually nonexistent; instead, there’s talk of layoffs. And oh look, your credit-card bill is — wait, what?

Welcome to the age of “doomspending,” a term that blossomed from the insidious combination of doomscrolling and buying stuff online. The phenomenon is probably familiar: Ambient anxiety (the news, your phone) combined with more pressing worries (money, work, that awkward text you just got) plus the constant temptation to buy whatever you want right this minute creates a perfect storm for stress shopping. Which, of course, exacerbates the financial pressures that drove you to zone out on your phone in the first place. Rinse, repeat.

Ticketed $500 at school as a teen, this Illinois woman is heading back to court in the hope of stopping schools from using police to discipline students. Venus Williams and eight other celebrated female athletes will be getting their own Barbie dolls. Speaking of sports, Toronto has officially the first WNBA franchise outside the U.S. With a $1 billion megamuseum, Egypt is reclaiming the narrative. The number of Americans who use marijuana just about every day has, for the first time, surpassed the number who drink that often, according to a new study. Happy birthday, Ms. LaBelle. LitHub ginned up “Grub Street Diet”s for your favorite fictional characters. And see a Full Flower Moon in the night sky tonight.

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