The Psychology of Black Friday - Social Contagions, Deal FOMO & Retail Rage

What are the secret drivers behind the year's biggest shopping day, and why is there so much fighting?

Black Friday has become an inescapable part of life, with a deal notification even popping up as a type this... (thanks Grammarly I don't need 50% off)

But it wasn't always this way.

In the early 1950's Philadelphia after Thanksgiving, a flood of traffic would swell for the local football game and downtown shopping. Cops called the gridlock "Black Friday" as a derogatory term. It was slowly adopted by shops and morphed into the retail phenomenon we know today.

We pull the curtains back on this crazy day:

• Psychological levers that get us to spend
• Case studies of different fights and drama
• How shopping impacts our emotions
• What are we really seeking from a deal

Learn about why our rational thinking gets turned off as shops manipulate our minds to get us into a buying frenzy and how it can turn violent. And whose fault is it?

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Growth Mindset Psychology:

Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.

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Chapters:

00:00 The Contradiction of Black Friday

02:20 A Brief History of Black Friday

05:01 The Perfect Storm of Psychological Triggers

07:12 Case Studies of Black Friday Madness

09:29 Deindividuation, Competition, Social Contagion and Polyvagal Theory

11:34 Cyber Monday and Online Shopping

15:41 The Financial Costs of Black Friday

17:45 Global Perspectives on Black Friday

19:31 Human Nature Revealed by Black Friday

20:49 Social Dynamics & the Irrationality of Value

21:32 Final Thoughts on Black Friday

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