Feeling confined leads consumers to seek more variety.

Feeling closed in on may make shoppers yearn for more buying options, says a study examining the effects of personal space on purchasing behavior. The research, which found that a variety of options provides a sense of relief for claustrophobic shoppers, was conducted by Rui (Juliet) Zhu of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver and Jonathan Levav of Columbia University.

Americans are drinking less, but choices vary among cohorts.

Americans are drinking less alcohol, says a report in the August issue of the American Journal of Medicine, and are especially cutting back on beer. Wine consumption has risen, and levels of hard liquor consumption have remained the same.

Our feelings—even predicted feelings—determine spending.

How do you expect that purchase to make you feel? If you are like most people, pretty good. Our expectations of our future emotions determine much of what we buy, and situations may range from anticipating a tough day at the office to an upcoming birthday. How we predict our emotions is strong predictor for our buying choices, says Jane Ebert, a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, who looked at the effects of forecasting and backcasting when predicting consumer choices.

How will the wine industry fare in this sour economy? It’s complex.

As Americans have been cutting back on various expenses as they try to survive this recession, is anyone toasting to better times ahead? As some reports announce that the wine industry is suffering, others claim the industry is still doing well. While many assume that in tough times such “unnecessary luxuries” like wine and other alcoholic beverages would suffer alongside other industries, evidence presents otherwise. Although the wine industry has also faced layoffs, explain experts, the industry has simultaneously seen sales soar, at least in some cases.

Your looks may influence how much lenders trust you.

Need a loan? All things being equal—employment history, credit rating—you had better have a trustworthy face. Appearance counts when seeking a loan and lenders are more likely to do business with clients whose faces evoke feelings of trust, say researchers Jefferson Duarte of Rice University, Stephan Siegel and Lance Young, both of the University of Washington.

Changes in consumer confidence will lead to a shift in values and spending.

Consumers in the upper-income bracket are more pessimistic about the economy than their lower-income counterparts, a reversal of last year’s trend, according to Gallup’s Consumer Mood Index. Last year lower-income consumers had been less confident, while those from the upper-income were more optimistic. Why the switch?

“It doesn’t surprise me,” says Anthony L. Liuzzo, J.D., Ph.D., professor of business and economics and director of the MBA program at Wilkes University.