>>15159078Fills the void. You get a dopamine rush when you find and acquire something. Humans just like to hoard and collect things that they feel like they have a personal attachment to. Often times, it's things they have a particular, good memory about, like an IP they enjoyed as a child.
It's also easy to justify purchasing them when other people also put value on the items you collect. You see some actively appreciating in value and suddenly you can justify buying things you don't necessarily even want to complete a collection or buy extra because they either consciously or subconsciously represent an appreciating store of value to you.
I collect vintage Lego sets and enjoy the art style and creative aspect of it. But during times when I felt depressed or ran out of other hobbies to partake in, my relationship with collecting turned parasitic and I impulse bought things I didn't want or need and it became more about acquiring rather than enjoying. At a certain point, owning things begins to feel like a burden and you lose track of why you even started.
