The Why We Project
Consumer psychology in plain English, with every study named and every limit stated. Why we look, act, engage, crave, belong and come back.
Latest articles
- Branding in the Age of AI: Why Trust Matters More
Why trust becomes the scarce asset when content and design are cheap to generate: what research says about disclosure, visible effort and brand trust, and how buyers judge credibility.
- Packaging Psychology: Why Shoppers Pick One Box Over Another
Four studies test shape, pictures, windows and layout on the pack. A fifth source, a book on brand growth, explains why the winning cues should then stay the same.
- Hotel Branding: The Psychology of Guest Choice
How guests weigh reviews, brand, price and photographs when they choose a hotel, what makes a stay memorable, and what a brand should get right.
- What is behavioural addiction?
Researchers use one term for activities from gambling to heavy internet use. Three papers show where the evidence is firm and where the definition is still argued over.
- What Is Branding? The Psychology Behind Strong Brands
Most answers point to a logo. Researchers point to memory: what a name calls up, how easily it comes, and the trust attached to it.
- What Is Brand Identity? (Beginner's Guide)
The beginner's difference between brand identity, brand image and the brand, the parts an identity is made of, and the research on why familiar marks help.
- Why do we crave sugar?
Reviews of food craving describe a desire shaped by cues, conditioning and familiar settings. Wendy Wood's habit research gives the settings half of the account.
- Black in Branding: Luxury and Authority
Black is read as authoritative, formal and restrained. Studies of weight, uniforms, clothing and understated luxury show which of those readings the evidence supports and which it leaves open.
- What Makes the Best Branding Company?
Four outputs of branding work that research supports, and the evidence a team can be asked to show for each.
- Consumer Behavior Trends 2026: The Cautious Buyer
Surveys published in 2026 describe buyers who keep spending, trim extras, save more when their finances are hard to predict and watch prices closely. Three accounts from consumer psychology explain…
- How People Decide What to Buy Online
A purchase on a screen is a string of small decisions. Six studies and one book show where each step helps the shopper and where it runs out.
- Taking a Brand Global: Psychology Across Cultures
What research says changes and what stays constant when a brand crosses cultures: brand personality, names and scripts, colour meanings and the pull of a global image.
Latest reports
- Human Forces No. 15: Boredom
Why do we get bored?
- Moment Report No. 15: Graduation
What happens in the mind at graduation?
- Evidence Review No. 15: Present Bias
Is present bias real?
- Field Guide No. 15: Storytelling
Why do stories persuade better than facts?
- Frontier Report No. 15: Subscriptions
Why do people keep paying for subscriptions they rarely use?