Retail therapy has long been a treat for millions of women who enjoy nothing better than a trawl round the shops.
For those who pause long enough to wonder if it is nature or nurture which guides them, the answer may have emerged.
Sales levels indicate that it is behavior that is learned, so it may be down to women's mothers that they like to shop so much.
Figures have revealed that clothes for baby girls out-sell those for boys by a fifth.
As mothers buy most of the clothes for their children, this suggests that they instinctively instill a much greater need for clothes in their daughters from a very young age.
As a result, it is likely that women are brought up to love shopping through years of intenseexposure to fashion and purchases.
Dr Karen J. Pine, Professor of Developmental Psychology，said: "Human society puts a great deal of emphasis on female appearance and this will inevitably result in more clothes being purchased for girls than boys."
"While dads are taking their sons out for football matches, mums are taking their little girls shopping and encouraging them to take an interest in fashion." she added.


据《每日邮报》7月13日报道：长久以来，对于成千上万喜欢在商铺里闲逛搜罗的女性来说，购物简直就是一种快意的享受。
对于那些长期纠结于购物狂是与生俱来还是后天形成这一问题的人们来说，答案似乎已经浮出水面。

购物的程度表明购物具有模仿性。所以，女性酷爱购物或许与她们的母亲不无关系。

数据显示，女孩的衣服比男孩多20%。


因为孩子的衣服大多是母亲买的，也就是说，当孩子们还很小的时候，母亲们就在无意识中向她们的女儿灌输对衣服巨大需求的思想。

其结果就是，女性经过时尚和货物对她们数年的强烈熏陶，长大后就可能变成购物狂。


发展心理学教授凯伦•派恩博士说："在社会上，人们总是过分强调女性外貌的重要性，这就必然导致女性购物要多于男性。"


"父亲往往会带着儿子到户外踢球，而母亲们则带着女儿去逛街，不断培养她们对时尚的兴趣。" 派恩博士补充说。

• female [´fi:meil] a.女(性)的 n.女人 (初中英语单词)
• behavior [bi´heiviə] n.举止，行为 (高中英语单词)
• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
• intense [in´tens] a.强烈的；紧张的 (高中英语单词)
• exposure [ik´spəuʒə] n.暴露；曝光(时间) (高中英语单词)
• emphasis [´emfəsis] n.强调；重点 (高中英语单词)
• retail [´ri:teil, ri´teil] n.&a.&v.零售(商品的) (英语四级单词)
• instinctively [in´stiŋktivli] ad.本能地 (英语四级单词)
• inevitably [in´evitəbli] ad.不可避免地；必然地 (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)