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The Psychology of Marketing to the Hyper-Stressed

Many consumers no longer have the same cognitive resources for decision-making

a man pushing a shopping cart full of items on fire — Our primal decision-making systems evolved to cope with survival, not shopping.Malte Mueller/Getty Images

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For two years, consumers in the U.S. have been struggling to adapt to a new normal, whatever that may mean. The result has been massive stress.

A March 2021 survey by the American Psychological Association that showed Americans were more stressed than ever before. Almost half (48%) reported elevated stress levels due to the pandemic, and two-thirds (67%) have had sleeping issues since pandemic started.

Little did we know that it could get worse. A follow-up study