I would feel ashamed every time I receive a new package (包裹) on my doorstep. I know that buying new stuff is bad for the planet. But every time I buy something, I get some happiness that’s hard to give up.

Recently a new book has given me new insights: 【小题1】 It’s the way our brains have evolved (进化). And there may be a way to break the cycle.We are evolved from simple organisms that survived because their networks of nerve cells learned to repeat rewarding (有益的) decisions. Today, we have billions of action cells in the brain. They are always forming connections to strengthen rewarding behavior. 【小题2】 We seek out those releases in dopamine, and at the same time repeat the actions that lead to them.

【小题3】 Maybe you weren’t even thinking about buying watercolor paints. Then something reminded that you like painting, and you searched online and found they were less expensive than you expected. When they arrived on your doorstep, they were better than you thought. Your brain will be drawn to repeat the behavior that got you something unexpected and good.

The best way to break the overbuying habits is not to stop buying things completely.

【小题4】 Imagine you’ve formed a habit of eating chocolate before bed for comfort, even though you know you don’t need the calories. You can try having milk with cocoa powder as a healthier replacement, which provides similar comfort. Once you start losing weight, the reward of being able to fit into your old clothes will feel as good as the chocolate once does. 【小题5】 Buying used items satisfies our desire to acquire. It gives us the same good feeling of an unexpected reward without consuming more resources.

With more than 46,000 of them in the UK, convenience stores used to be a feature on almost every residential corner—but the number of corner shop is in decline. The growth of the corner shop was prevented by the cruel march of the Big Four supermarkets’ formats when Tesco bought the T&S group of convenience stores. Even more significantly, corner shops are starting to change hands as their original owners retire- So can the tradition be saved?

Sure, there’s always a way out. Far from a struggling corner shop, Wigston Fields News & Deli is becoming a lighthouse for food lovers across the region. Pratik was named Local Food Hero by the regional Great Taste Club in their annual awards in 2019 and his customers value what News & Deli offers.

“I feel proud to continue my parents’ legacy, ” says Pratik. “I barely set foot in the shop until my mother passed away in 2012, but then it became important for me to continue the work she loved. I am proud to take the flag from her and continue to serve my community. ”

At present, he is well on his way to achieving a commercial as well as community success. On the shop’s popular Facebook page customers share orders for special menus of locally produced food and enjoy the wonder about Pratik’s samosa (萨莫萨三角饺) consumption. These samosas are held to be the best in the city, so the tiny shop sells nearly 900 samosas a week, up from just 50 a week 3 years ago.

“I hope our success will inspire others and show that shop-keeping is a rewarding choice, not a dead-end job, ” Pratik says. “We work hard, and our customers have become like family to us, so I can’t imagine enjoying any other job quite as much. ”

This is one of independent corner shops whose fortunes are on the rise. Surely, we’ll see more in the future.