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Consumers today have too many temptations – a situation that often leads to overspending. That is especially true during the weeks leading up to the December holidays.Chris Young/The Globe and Mail

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Ashesh Mukherjee is trying something new this holiday season. At a time of year when excessive shopping has become the norm, he plans to volunteer with a charitable organization that works with people in need.

It's more than just a way to give back to his Montreal community. Dr. Mukherjee, associate professor of marketing at McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management, sees volunteering as an important way to recharge and reconsider what is important in a fast-paced digital age.

He uses his latest research in consumer psychology to highlight the hidden costs of living online in his forthcoming book, The Internet Trap.

Chief among our modern-day problems? Too many temptations – a situation that often leads to overspending. That is especially true during the weeks leading up to the December holidays.

If you believe you are immune to those pretty displays in the malls and magazines, think again.

"Humans are programmed to follow the lead of others … so even if you think Christmas has become too commercial, you will still get pushed into spending when you see everyone else is doing it. You get caught up in the excitement," says Dr. Mukherjee.

Add to that another deeply ingrained consumer behaviour: If you take a small step toward something, you will find it easier to keep going. In shopping terms, that means the moment you buy a small present, it becomes easier to buy another – and even easier to buy the next.

"Your past purchases set a benchmark. If you've already spent $200, for instance, what's another $20 on a book or gift?" says Dr. Mukherjee.

The ease and omnipotence of e-commerce only increases our urge to splurge.

"Online you can see more products than you ever could in a store, and that in itself is going to lead to more shopping. At some point you are likely to break down and spend," says Dr. Mukherjee.

His book, due for release in April of 2018, also examines other troubling elements of our digital lives, including too much information, too much customization, too many comparisons and too little privacy.

Indeed, his research suggests that some of our most common online behaviours may be doing us, and others, physical and emotional harm. We've all felt a pang of jealousy, for instance, when looking through happy photos on Facebook of friends frolicking on a sunny beach or a co-worker's perfectly Instagram-able dinner party. We're often left wondering, 'How come our lives don't look like that?'

It's worth keeping in mind, says Dr. Mukherjee, that we tend to hide our hard times, while up to 95 per cent of images or events posted on social media are positive. The problem is, the more we expose ourselves to these posts, the more we feel a loss in our own lives. That, in turn, can trigger negative emotions, and, potentially, excessive or unplanned spending.

"If everyone [on social media] is having a good time, you might think, 'I should be doing that, too.' And that has input into your purchasing behaviour," he says.

Dr. Mukherjee suggests fighting those unhappy feelings by keeping a gratitude journal in which you write three things every day for which you are grateful. People who do this for at least six months emerge with a measurably healthier mindset, including a more optimistic outlook and better productivity on the job, he says.

Volunteering with a charity produces similar positive effects. Even just a couple of hours doing something for someone else can make a real difference in your outlook and your bank balance, says Dr. Mukherjee.

"The whole thing about buying is that we are buying a lot for ourselves or to feel good about ourselves," he says. "We can get out of this mindset by setting aside time to volunteer. It's a chance to meet with others who are having a tougher time than us and help make their lives a little better."

The Internet Trap is published by the Univerity of Toronto Press.

Story ideas related to business school research in Canada can be sent to darahkristine@gmail.com.

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