Six data points on the urge, the design that targets it, and what actually happens afterward, mapped across three moments in the same cycle
The Buying Psychology Dataset & Dashboard, DT Linux
The Buying Psychology Dataset & Dashboard
An interactive companion to DT Linux's briefing on why we buy things we don't need: the internal itch that makes buying feel good before you own anything, the commercial design built to catch that itch, and what actually happens afterward, including the one figure that shows how rare the genuine clinical disorder actually is.
Filter by case
Three moments in the same cycle
How each case compares
What's in this dataset, by composition
How common compulsive buying disorder actually is
A genuine part-to-whole split, and the number this report's caveat leans on hardest: even after accounting for every pattern in this dataset, the diagnosable disorder itself remains rare. This is the one place in this dataset where the numbers are shares of a single population; every other comparison here is an independent-category comparison and stays a bar chart on purpose.
Dataset schema
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| case_name | The behavior, mechanism, or finding this row describes | "Sold mid-scroll" |
| tier | This report's own categorization of the stage in the buying cycle, not a severity ranking | "The nudge" |
| key_metric | The headline sourced figure for this case | "22% bought directly on a social platform" |
| source | Citation for the key metric | "PartnerCentric survey via Retail Brew, 2026" |
| last_verified | Date the figure was last checked against its original source | "2026-09-04" |
About this dataset
How this data was collected
Every figure behind this dataset comes from a peer-reviewed study, an academic meta-analysis, a government staff report, or a named consumer survey: Knutson and colleagues' 2007 Neuron study, a 131-study meta-analysis of scarcity marketing, the FTC's 2022 dark patterns report, the 2026 PartnerCentric consumer survey via Retail Brew, Bankrate and Ipsos survey data alongside Financial Health Network research, Van Boven and Gilovich's original happiness research and its 2025 Clemson-led update, and the American Journal of Psychiatry's national prevalence study. DT Linux's research process cross-references each figure against its original publication; this report does not involve DT Linux surveying consumers itself.
Data handling and compliance
Built entirely from published academic research, a government staff report, and named third-party consumer surveys, never from personal or proprietary data collected by DT Linux. Full practices in our privacy policy.
API and pipeline access
Want a consumer psychology or purchase-behavior analysis like this refreshed on a schedule, or piped into your own systems? DT Linux builds custom research and data pipeline work per client; there is no self-serve API today, so delivery is handled directly by our team. Get in touch.
More from the DT Linux data store
Want this kind of consumer behavior research built for your own brand or sector?
DT Linux designs custom consumer psychology research, survey design, and purchase-behavior analysis for organizations that need to understand why people actually buy, not just what they bought. Get in touch if you need deeper or more customized research behind this report.