From Suppressed Desire to Impulsive Action: Cognitive Self-Regulation, Inhibitory Control, and Impulse Buying in Digital Consumer Environments

Qing Qi

doi:10.62177/amit.v2i5.1658

Authors

Qing Qi Northwest Normal University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62177/amit.v2i5.1658

Keywords:

Impulse Buying, Thought Suppression, Cognitive Rebound, Self-Control, Compulsive Buying-shopping

Abstract

Impulse buying has moved from a predominantly store-based phenomenon to a continuously available form of consumption embedded in e-commerce, social media, personalized advertising, and low-friction payment systems. Particular attention is given to thought suppression, intrusive cognition, self-control, affective vulnerability, stimulus-specific inhibitory control, and the transition from ordinary impulsive purchasing to compulsive buying-shopping. The literature indicates that purchase-related thought suppression can reduce information search or the accessibility of spending-related thoughts during active control, yet these effects are temporally unstable. When suppression ends or salient promotional cues appear, suppressed cognition can rebound, and its relation to purchase intention may strengthen. This cognitive dynamic operates within a broader system in which scarcity and fear of missing out, negative emotion and intolerance of uncertainty, targeted advertising, problematic Internet use, hedonic advertising, and individual impulsiveness increase vulnerability, whereas cognitive flexibility, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and inhibitory control may provide protection. Research on compulsive buying-shopping further shows that cognitive deficits are often cue-dependent, subtle, and sensitive to task demands. Recent inhibitory-control training research also demonstrates that control can be modified and can reduce impulsive fast-fashion consumption over time. The evidence therefore supports a process model in which impulsive buying emerges from interactions among mental-control strategies, emotional states, environmental cues, and action-control capacity. Major challenges include conceptual overlap, inconsistent measurement, heavy reliance on self-report and cross-sectional designs, and limited direct evidence linking thought suppression to actual purchasing. Future work should integrate multi-phase suppression paradigms with ecologically valid shopping tasks and longitudinal behavioral measures.

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