What impact has our psychological and sentimental state on the decisions we make? How elevated arousal influences the way that positive mood differentiates our resistance to temptation?

These are interesting questions for ourselves as we certainly want to be in the best possible state of mind before we purchase goods or services, choose healthy or unhealthy food and commit ourselves.

Knowing the possible factors that induce variations of our ability to decide correctly and in our interests, is of great importance as this would lead us to more success in every field of our daily lives.

This question is as well very interesting for consumers' behavior researchers who are very keen to discover and use knowledge relevant to what diminishes or enhances consumer's resistance to temptation.

The affective state of each person has a profound effect, on the choices that he or she makes as a consumer. The level of arousal moderates the controlling effect that positive mood has on resistance to temptation.

The implications of this situation are many. Psychology and marketing research have shown that self control dilemmas and choices between healthy and unhealthy items evolve according to positive mood and level of exertion.

Read more about the variations of consumers' behaviors according to their psychological state and exertion, in the article Self control, types of arousal and healthy or unhealthy choices that you will find attached with our 97th Progressive Insurance Newsletter.

Definitely, there is a lot more to discover about what influences our decisions. An important aspect of human behavior that we should not forget, is that self-control or the lack of it, is contagious.

We should always take time to explore well ourselves, know our own variations of mood and psychological state in general. This is extremely fruitful because we would prefer taking important decisions when we feel that we are in the most appropriate psychological condition. 

Takis A. Haggiandreou
Director

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