This is why we can’t resist Black Friday discounts: dopamine, emotions and cognitive biases explain the psychology of the discount
The psychology of discounts: why we can’t resist Black Friday
On Black Friday, millions of people around the world prepare to fill their online carts and chase flash deals. But what really drives us to click “buy now”? Why, even when we know we could do without it, can’t we resist discounts?
The answer, according to psychology, is in our brain: a complex mix of emotions, dopamine and illusions of control that makes Black Friday a perfect experiment in human behavior.
Discount fever: a global and mental phenomenon
Black Friday is not just a commercial event: it is a collective ritual that mixes excitement, anxiety and a sense of belonging. In just a few days, billions of euros are spent all over the world, and the pace of online purchases accelerates as if in a race against time.
According to several behavioral marketing studies, discounts activate the same areas in the brain that respond to immediate gratification. Even just the idea of getting “a deal” triggers a small rush of dopamine, the hormone of pleasure and motivation.
It is the mechanism that pushes us to click without thinking too much, especially when the word “-50%” flashes next to the product we have wanted for a long time. We don’t just buy an object: we chase the emotion of feeling successful. This is why we can’t resist discounts, especially when Black Friday approaches.
The brain and the promise of savings
When we see a crossed-out price or a “good today only” offer, our brain interprets the message as a potential reward. The amygdala — the part of the brain that processes emotions — activates along with the dopamine system, generating a wave of excitement and desire.
On a neurological level, it is not actual saving that motivates us, but the anticipation of the pleasure of saving. It’s an evolutionary mechanism: our ancestors sought scarce resources, and getting something “before others” increased their chances of survival.
Black Friday exploits this ancestral instinct perfectly. Push notifications, countdowns and timed offers create an environment that fuels the idea of ”hunting” for the best price. Every purchase becomes a micro-victory.
In reality, however, the brain often overestimates the advantage: dopamine drops immediately after the purchase, leaving room for a feeling of emptiness or uncertainty. It is the psychological price of discounts.
The cognitive traps of Black Friday
Many of our purchasing decisions are not rational, but driven by cognitive biases: mental shortcuts that help us choose quickly, but which can deceive us.
One of the best known is the anchoring effect: the first price we see (for example “first €299”) becomes the reference point. Even if the new price isn’t that low, the brain perceives it as a great deal.
Then there is the scarcity effect: when a site shows the words “only 3 pieces left”, the fear of losing the opportunity (loss aversion) is activated. At that moment, critical thinking weakens and impulse prevails.
Experts talk about “discount psychology”: a set of strategies that exploit our tendency to react more strongly to the possibility of loss than to actual gain.
During Black Friday, companies know these mechanisms well and integrate them into the design of their sites and apps to maximize sales. We, convinced that we are rational, instead fall into a perfectly orchestrated dance between emotion and illusion.
Emotions, group and FOMO: the social pressure of Black Friday
We never really buy ourselves. In the digital world, every purchasing decision is immersed in a social stream of notifications, advertisements and comparisons.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), the fear of being left behind, amplifies the desire to participate in the “big event” of Black Friday. Seeing friends or influencers showing their purchases on social media activates an unconscious imitation mechanism.
According to social psychology, group belonging is one of our strongest drives. Solomon Asch’s experiments in conformity, already in the 1950s, showed how the need to be “like others” can overcome individual logic.
During Black Friday, marketing exploits these emotional bonds, transforming every purchase into an identity gesture. “I found the perfect offer too” becomes a form of collective self-esteem.
In this way, the purchasing experience is transformed into a mass psychological phenomenon: a mix of emotion, belonging and adrenaline.
From pleasure to regret: the day after the discount
Once the euphoria effect is over, the post-shopping blues often arrives: a light form of cognitive dissonance, that mental tension we feel when our actions are not consistent with our values.
“Did I really need it?” is the question that follows the impulse purchase. Dopamine drops, and the brain tries to rationalize the emotion with phrases like “this was an opportunity not to be missed.”
Neuroeconomic studies show that purchasing regret is a natural component of consumer behavior: it is the mind’s way of learning from its own excesses.
In short, the psychology of the discount does not stop at the moment of purchase, but continues over time, influencing the way in which we perceive our relationship with money and desire.
How to defend yourself from the impulses of Black Friday 2025
Understanding why we can’t resist discounts is the first step in managing the purchasing impulse. Psychologists suggest some simple but effective strategies:
- Please wait 24 hours before purchasing. Time reduces the impact of the immediate emotion.
- Set a maximum budget and view it as a concrete limit, not a suggestion.
- Ask yourself “do I really need this?” three times: repetition helps the brain move from the emotional to the rational sphere.
- Turn off notifications from shopping sites during the Black Friday discount period: the brain interprets each alert as a signal of urgency.
- Cultivate delayed gratification: Invest in experiences or knowledge, not just objects.
Black Friday is not just a test of our pockets, but an experiment in how the human mind works. And knowing how the brain reacts to discounts can help us avoid becoming victims of the most powerful mechanism of all: that of desire.
