Consumer behavior and the wayward mind: The influence of mania and depression on consumption

Our focus is on the millions of American consumers who experience the affective mental disorders known as mania and depression. Despite the influence of manic-depression and recurrent depression on a significant segment of the American population, very few research inquiries have attempted to explore the effects that these states have on consumption. To redress this omission, we examine the emotional, cognitive and behavioral aspects of mania and depression using genetic, historic, and clinical evidence. We argue that the mania-depression continuum describes relationships among several consumption phenomena previously thought to be unrelated, including risk-taking, sensation seeking, product involvement, innovativeness and hedonic consumption.