Across a generation that has grown up with its hands full of small, bright things, a coffee, a lip balm, a candle, a plush toy, a quiet philosophy is taking shape: when the larger goals of home, security and rest drift further out of reach, a modest pleasure can still be claimed today. A psychologist writing in Forbes on September 4, 2025, reads this habit not simply as a reward but as a way of steadying oneself in an uncertain economy, where most Americans already describe the times as bleak. The essay leaves its own question open for the reader, whether these small comforts sit beside a plan
Why Gen Z Is Splurging on 'Little Treats' as a Coping Mechanism in an Uncertain Economy
At least I can feel good right now.
Mark
Why does a candle or a Labubu get this much attention?
Mimi
Because the survey numbers are large. Twenty percent of Gen Z buy a treat daily, and over 40% budget for them. That's planning, not impulse.
Mark
And the reason they give?
Mimi
53% say bigger milestones like vacations or homes feel unaffordable. So the small purchase is what's left within reach.
Luke
That figure is what people say about their own motives, though. It's self-report, not proof of cause.
Mark
What's the lipstick effect doing in the argument?
Mimi
It's the historical parallel. During the Great Recession, women aged 18 to 40 spent more on cosmetics, and the study found it wasn't explained by marriage or job-hunting. It looked like substitution for pricier items.
Luke
Worth noting that study covered cosmetics and women. Applying it to Gen Z and Labubus is the author's extension, not a finding.
Mark
And the curiosity idea?
Mimi
Experiments suggest unmet curiosity turns into a general craving for rewards. The essay applies that to Gen Z's information overload.
Luke
That's the thinnest link. The research was experimental, and nothing here shows Gen Z's treat buying comes from curiosity. It's a hypothesis.
Mark
So what's solid?
Luke
The survey figures and the Pew pessimism numbers. The explanations are interpretation, and this is an opinion piece.
El Pulso
- Two-thirds of Americans say they are deeply worried about rising prices for food, goods and housing, and only 23% rate the economy as good.
- Gen Z is buying small treats daily, with over 40% budgeting for them, as bigger milestones like homes and vacations slip further away.
- Social media, same-day delivery and scarcity messages are pulling spending toward quick, emotional decisions instead of careful ones.
- Researchers link the pattern to the lipstick effect and unmet curiosity, while the author urges budgeting so that the comfort does not become a financial strain.
- The habit is landing as a widely shared coping ritual, and whether it will be balanced by long-term saving remains unresolved.
Across a generation that has grown up with its hands full of small, bright things, a coffee, a lip balm, a candle, a plush toy, a quiet philosophy is taking shape: when the larger goals of home, security and rest drift further out of reach, a modest pleasure can still be claimed today. A psychologist writing in Forbes on September 4, 2025, reads this habit not simply as a reward but as a way of steadying oneself in an uncertain economy, where most Americans already describe the times as bleak. The essay leaves its own question open for the reader, whether these small comforts sit beside a plan for the future or quietly stand in for one.
A cup of coffee that costs a little more than it should, a lip balm, a scented candle, a Labubu toy. Each is small, and together they have become a daily ritual for Gen Z, a habit that has spread across social media as a trend. A psychologist's Forbes essay, published September 4, 2025, asks whether these purchases are simple rewards or a way of coping with an uncertain economy.
The essay draws on a 2025 NCSolutions survey in which 62% of Americans called little treats an essential part of self-care, and 53% of Gen Z said they buy them because bigger goals like vacations or homes feel unaffordable. The mood around those numbers is gloomy. A 2025 Pew survey found only 23% of Americans rated the economy good or excellent, and two-thirds worried deeply about the cost of food, goods and housing. In that setting, the essay suggests, the reasoning becomes simple: at least I can feel good right now.
The author offers three explanations. Instant gratification has grown as delivery and online shopping shrink the wait for everything. The lipstick effect, seen in data from the Great Recession, shows people trimming big purchases while still spending on affordable luxuries. And unmet curiosity, from information overload and career pressure, may spill into small rewards.
The essay does not condemn the habit, since treats can genuinely relieve stress. The concern is the impulsive version, which can strain finances and leave deeper pressures unaddressed. Its advice is to budget for treats and keep saving, even in small amounts. The question it leaves is whether those treat budgets sit alongside savings or quietly replace them.
A cup of coffee that costs more than it should, a lip balm, a scented candle, a Labubu toy. Each is small, and each has become a kind of daily ritual for Gen Z, who have turned the "little treat" into a generational habit and a TikTok trend. A psychologist's essay in Forbes, published September 4, 2025, asks whether these purchases are just rewards or a way of coping in an uncertain economy.
The numbers it cites come from a 2025 NCSolutions survey. Among the Americans polled, 62% said little treats are an essential part of self-care, and 44% indulge a few times a week. More than one in ten do so every day. Gen Z stands out: 20% buy a treat daily, and over 40% budget for them. Another figure carries the argument: 53% of Gen Z say they buy small treats because bigger milestones, such as vacations or homes, feel unaffordable.
The economic backdrop comes from a 2025 Pew Research Center survey. Only 23% of Americans rated current economic conditions as excellent or good, while 34% called the economy poor. Rising costs were the greatest strain, with two-thirds of adults saying they are very concerned about the price of food, consumer goods and housing. The essay reads the treat habit through that gloom: when homeownership, financial stability or a stress-free vacation feel out of reach, the philosophy becomes "at least I can feel good right now."
The author offers three psychological explanations. The first is instant gratification. In a world of same-day delivery and food arriving within minutes, waiting has faded, and spending follows. A 2024 study in the International Journal of Advanced Research, combining psychology and behavioral economics, found that social media and digital platforms push consumers toward more impulsive, emotionally driven decisions. Social proof, such as influencer endorsements and peer activity, weighs more than a rational look at need or price. FOMO and scarcity messaging like "limited stock" add to it.
The second is the lipstick effect, the pattern in which people facing recessions or financial strain cut spending on big-ticket items like vacations, cars or electronics but spend more on small, affordable indulgences. A 2020 study in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics examined spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey during the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. Women aged 18 to 40 spent more on cosmetics. Theories that they were trying to attract partners or improve job prospects did not hold up, because the increase happened whether or not the women were married or employed. The study points instead to substitution: women cut back on larger purchases such as new clothes and redirected some money to cheaper luxuries. The essay calls little treats the everyday, modern version of that pattern.
The third explanation is unsatisfied curiosity. Research published in the Journal of Consumer Research in 2020 ran multiple experiments and found that unmet curiosity becomes a generalized desire for rewards, which can lead people to indulge in unrelated small pleasures such as snacks or affordable luxuries. The author argues that Gen Z, facing information overload, career pressure and uncertainty about the future, may have many aspirational drives left partly unmet and redirected into treats.
The essay does not condemn the habit. Little treats can bring relief and help with stress. The trouble comes when the habit turns impulsive and unplanned, which can create financial strain and more stress, and when leaning on instant gratification means underlying pressures go unaddressed. The advice is to budget for treats and plan for the long term, because saving even a little still matters.
The piece is an opinion essay, and its reading of motive is interpretation layered on survey data. What it does establish is the scale of the habit and the economic gloom around it. Whether treat budgets sit alongside savings or replace them is the question it leaves with readers.
Citas Notables
Little treats are modern, everyday versions of the lipstick effect: small pleasures with outsized psychological comfort for their cost.— Forbes essay by a psychologist (paraphrased)
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Economy & Finance