It is based on recent research into the psychology of flourishing (so called positive psychology), consumer behavior research, experiences and research about the diet industry and weight loss, my 25 years clinical experience as a psychologist and psychoanalyst, and well over a half-century of experience eating.

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She is also on the lookout for emerging trends, using social media as a means to research consumer behavior and trends.

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He has authored and edited numerous scholarly research articles on consumer behavior, and he initiated and leads the HBS program titled Taking Marketing Digital, which helps guide marketers in the fast change and drive to digital.

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"Extraverts tip more than introverts, " said Michael Lynn, a professor of consumer behavior at Cornell University who has done exhaustive research on the custom.

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"The growth in electronic purchases is a bonus for Wal-Mart as they generate high-average tickets, " says Britt Beemer, president of America's Research Group, which tracks consumer behavior.

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"Tectonic upheavals in technology have affected consumer behavior, and it's happened so quickly, " says Alan Wurtzel, president of research at General Electric Co.

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