EMOTIONAL REGULATIONS ON IMPULSIVE BUYING BEHAVIOR AMONG THIRD-YEAR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS AS SELF-AWARENESS

Abstract

Impulse buying, driven by emotions, affects both satisfaction and financial stability. Emotional regulation is crucial, particularly for individuals prone to impulsive behaviors. While impulse buying can provide short-term gratification, it often poses challenges to emotional control and long-term financial well-being. Existing research frequently overlooks its psychological impact on psychology students. This study examines the influence of emotional regulation on impulsive buying among third-year psychology students, aiming to develop interventions that promote better emotional regulation and reduce impulse buying tendencies. This study employs a quantitative descriptive research design to investigate the relationship between emotional regulation and impulsive buying behavior among 150 third-year psychology students, aged 20 to 35, from Bestlink College of the Philippines in Novaliches, Quezon City. Participants were selected using quota sampling. Data were collected using structured and standardized questionnaires, including the Impulsive Buying Scale and the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Findings indicate that the majority of respondents were aged 20 to 25 (97.7%) and predominantly female (82.67%). Analysis revealed high levels of reminder impulsive buying, with 103 respondents exhibiting this behavior (mean: 0.687), while 86 respondents displayed pure impulse buying (mean: 0.573). Most students demonstrated strong emotional regulation skills, with cognitive reappraisal scoring highest (mean: 5.07), followed by expressive suppression (mean: 4.96). Notably, reminder impulsive buying was more prevalent than pure impulse buying, and emotional regulation showed a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.86) with impulsive buying behavior. The study highlights that third-year psychology students frequently engage in reminder impulsive buying and emotionally-driven purchases while also employing cognitive reappraisal for rational decision-making. Intense emotions play a key role in triggering impulsive purchases, emphasizing the importance of cognitive reappraisal in emotional regulation. To foster financial responsibility, recommendations include budgeting, creating shopping lists, delaying purchases, and practicing mindful spending. Additional suggestions involve prioritizing needs, saving for long-term goals, evaluating purchases, reducing exposure to shopping stimuli, engaging in physical activities, enhancing decision-making skills, and utilizing financial literacy resources such as podcasts.