If You're Feeling Impulsive Right Now, You're Not Alone

Over the last two months, since the coronavirus pandemic thrust the world into a collective panic, Minneapolis freelance journalist Ashley Abramson has stocked up on throw blankets, decorative baskets, candles, makeup, and skincare items. Abramson, 31, said none of the decisions about buying so many small extravagances were particularly thought out or planned through. “I’ve always been more impulsive with purchases,” she said. “The pandemic has definitely amplified that tendency in me—the greater perception that I’m going through something hard causes me to mentally justify spending on things.”

Since the...