Sentient Insight: the business blog for consumer psychology and consumer marketing

In a recent Country Financial Poll, 75% of adults surveyed said the issue of money and the economy were stressful topics for their families. The Stress in America Survey by the American Psychological Association found 81% of Northeast U.S. residents are most worried about the economy and money. Our own research tracking financial behaviors, sentiment and intentions on a monthly basis shows a sharp decline in consumer attitudes from May 2008 to February 2009. Concerns about the state of the economy, the stock market, personal debt and job security are top-of-mind.

Recently, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) held their annual conference in Tampa FL. The annual conference is filled with the most current research in the broad field of social psychology. This year’s conference was no different, covering a wide range of topics, from close relationships to personality to “automatic” association/implicit attitudes. A couple of talks particularly stood out in terms of our approach to behavioral insight.