Overspending as Emotional Healing

According to psychology, people who overspend when they start earning more aren’t bad with money.

They aren’t careless. They aren’t irresponsible. And they’re not “financially stupid.” Most of the time,

they’re trying to heal something emotional. This is one of the most misunderstood behaviors around

money. From the outside, it looks like poor discipline. People say things

like, “If you finally make more, why are you still broke?” or “You

should know better by now.” But psychology tells a very different story—one that has less to do with

numbers and much more to do with the nervous system, memory, and emotional survival.

When income rises, the brain releases dopamine—the chemical associated with reward,