Navigating Holiday Marketing With ADHD

The holiday season is here, and with it comes the tidal wave of holiday marketing — Black Friday deals, flash sales, and ads promising the perfect gift. For many, it’s overwhelming, but for ADHDers, these tactics can hit particularly hard. Why? Marketers are experts at triggering the emotional and impulsive drives in our brains, and the way ADHD brains process urgency, emotion, and novelty can create a perfect storm during this time of year.

Let’s break down why holiday marketing hits ADHD brains so hard — and explore some strategies to help you regain control, without losing the joy (or the dopamine) of the season.

Why ADHD Brains Are More Vulnerable to Holiday Marketing

Marketers have mastered the art of persuasion by tapping directly into psychological principles that drive behavior. Tactics like scarcity messaging, emotional appeals, and frictionless shopping are designed to make buying feel urgent, effortless, and rewarding. For ADHD brains, which tend to be wired for impulsivity, novelty-seeking, and emotional intensity, we are particularly vulnerable to these strategies.

Here’s how these common marketing tactics interact with the ADHD brain:

1. Urgency and Scarcity: “Act Now or Miss Out!”

If you’ve ever felt compelled to buy something because the ad screamed, “Only a few left in stock!” or “Deal ends at midnight!” — you’ve been pulled into scarcity bias. This psychological principle makes us value something more when it feels rare or fleeting, and it’s amplified by FOMO (fear of missing out).

For ADHD brains, urgency doesn’t just grab our attention; it kicks impulsivity into high gear. Scarcity marketing plays directly to our love of novelty and our tendency to act fast to avoid regret. The adrenaline rush of “beating the clock” can push us to click buy now before we’ve had time to ask ourselves: Do I really need this? Can I afford this? Does this even align with my priorities?

2. Emotional Appeals: Feeling First, Thinking Later

Marketers know that decisions aren’t always logical — they’re often driven by emotions. That’s why ads focus on making us feel something: joy, nostalgia, even fear. For ADHDers, who often experience heightened emotional sensitivity, these appeals can feel especially compelling. The ADHD brain is quick to connect with stories on an emotional level, sometimes bypassing the reflective pause needed to assess whether a purchase is truly necessary.

3. Social Comparison: Selling the Illusion of “Better”

Ads don’t just sell products; they sell a vision of the life you could have if only you owned the right things. Beautiful people, pristine homes, and curated lifestyles create a perfect storm for social comparison, a psychological phenomenon where we evaluate our worth in relation to others.

Internalized ableism and negative social feedback often leave ADHDers grappling with feelings of inadequacy, imposter syndrome, and a sense of being a misfit. This makes us especially vulnerable to marketing messages that promise success or belonging.

4. Frictionless Shopping: A Recipe for Impulsivity

One-click purchasing. Auto-saved credit cards. Same-day delivery. These conveniences remove the natural “friction” that once slowed down the buying process. For ADHD brains, which already struggle with impulse control, frictionless shopping is like throwing gasoline on a fire.

The dopamine rush from clicking “buy now” is immediate, and the promise of instant gratification — knowing the item will arrive tomorrow — makes it even harder to resist. Without those natural pauses to reflect, impulsive purchases can pile up quickly, leading to buyer’s remorse once the dopamine fades.

Building Agency During Holiday Marketing: Tips for Value-Aligned Shopping

Understanding how your ADHD brain interacts with marketing can help you slow the cycle and make more intentional decisions. I’ve found that when I peek behind the curtain and recognize which psychological strings are being pulled, it gives me a little more agency to make value-aligned choices. Here are a few strategies to help you navigate holiday marketing more mindfully:

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1. Name the Tactic

When you feel drawn to an ad, pause and ask yourself: What tactic are they using? Is it urgency? Nostalgia? Social comparison? By naming the psychological hook, you can create a small moment of awareness before making a decision.

2. The 24-Hour Rule

Impulse buys thrive on immediate action. Interrupt this cycle by waiting 24 hours before completing a purchase. Add the item to your cart, step away, and come back later. Often, the emotional pull will fade, leaving you with a clearer sense of whether the purchase is truly necessary.

3. Stop Shopping for Your “Ideal Self”

Ask yourself: Am I buying this for my real self or my idealized self? ADHD brains love to dream big, but this can lead to purchases aimed at who we wish we were, not who we are. My cabinets are full of good intentions — vitamins I thought I’d consistently take to “get healthy” or a fancy planner I was sure would make me organized. Instead of shopping for your ideal self, pause and focus on your current needs and habits.

4. Reintroduce Friction

If you’re prone to impulsive shopping. Make it harder to buy things impulsively by adding barriers to the process. Disable one-click purchasing or delete saved credit cards from your accounts. For ADHD brains, a little extra “friction” can create just enough pause to reconsider the purchase.

5. Set a Dopamine Budget

ADHD brains love novelty and dopamine, and that’s okay — you don’t have to deprive yourself. Set a budget for small, joy-sparking purchases during the holiday season. Plan “impulsive” shopping on your terms to enjoy the dopamine without overextending yourself financially or emotionally. This approach reduces guilt and builds agency, letting you stay in control rather than letting impulsivity drive the bus.

This holiday season, try one small change — whether it’s adding friction to your purchases or pausing for 24 hours before clicking buy.

Final Thoughts

Holiday marketing is designed to push us into impulsive decisions, and for ADHD brains, those psychological triggers can feel especially hard to resist. But with a little awareness and a few strategies, you can slow the consumerism cycle, make intentional choices, and avoid the regret that often follows impulsive purchases.