Karan Johar Opens Up About Using Retail Therapy To Cope With Loneliness: "I Was Filling A Void"

Filmmaker, producer, and storyteller Karan Johar is known for his cinematic flair and glamorous life, but behind it all, he also has struggles. 

In a podcast episode with Soul Safar with Bhaav, Karan Johar recently opened up about dealing with emotional problems and covering them with retail therapy. 

The renowned director shared how he used shopping to cover up sadness and loneliness and how he came to realise that retail can't help him deal with his problems.

"I am trying to chase joy, which is definitely not coming from my success," Karan Johar shared. 

"Till a very long time, I felt like retail was therapy for me. I was buying things all the time. I actually was trying to replace my inherent sadness or loneliness. I was filling it with things that I didn't need. I realized that it is a proper disease, and I am replacing emotions with things. That's what retail is."

He continued that it involves constantly buying things to replace an empty void. What you should do is find the reason why the void exists and how you can fill it, rather than covering it with an "online purchase". 

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What Is Retail Therapy And Does It Work

Retail therapy is when you shop while feeling down or stressed, and make a purchase to boost your mood. According to the Cleveland Clinic, retail therapy is "the act of shopping with the goal of improving your mood or avoiding difficult emotions." 

According to Healthline, studies have shown that retail therapy is an effective way to boost your mood, but it may be a temporary fix. If a person uses shopping to cope with stress, it will not help them deal with what's troubling them personally. It may improve your mood temporarily, but it will not replace professional therapy, which can give you long-lasting results.