The mental state of contemporary young people is like a Sichuan opera face-changing—ever-shifting. 

At work, they always carry the faint sense of exhaustion typical of those up early for an 8 a.m. start, committed to experimenting with puzzling, never-repeating outfits throughout the week. But after work, they shout "passion," rush home to slip into Sun Wukong-style robes, and cocoon themselves in beautiful floral blankets like little embryos. 

On social media, they post photos of exquisite, fancy meals, yet in private, they crave all kinds of quirky-flavored foods. From mouth-puckering green plum extract to dry, choking yogurt that makes you stretch your neck a mile long—no matter how bizarre, they’ll definitely buy it and make the whole family taste it.

They turn up their noses at things that are beautifully uniform, but when it comes to uniquely ugly, abstract products, they’ll beg for the link: ugly fish pajamas, bird-beak masks... Young people can always find a touch of cuteness in "ugliness."

The main purpose of traveling isn’t to check in at attractions; for young people, the real business is snapping up all region-exclusive cultural and creative merchandise. In Xi’an, even if they skip the roujiamo (meat sandwiches), they’ll buy a fluffy mo (steamed bun toy). In Wuhan, how could they resist the subtly humorous "garlic bird" doll? 

They’ll spend half an hour figuring out a 3-yuan takeout coupon, yet hit "checkout" in a click when they encounter something "weird but joyful." In days drained by KPIs, spending that makes them laugh out loud is the life-sustaining magic for today’s youth.

As scholar Han Bingzhe put it: "Today, what we ultimately consume is not the commodity itself, but emotions. The consumption of goods has an end, but the consumption of emotions is boundless." Nowadays, young people value not only the cost-effectiveness of products but, more importantly, the experience and feelings during consumption.

Recharging for happiness, paying for dopamine—emotional value is becoming a key factor influencing young people’s consumption behavior.