An empirical analysis of the practices and therapeutic power of mood‐alleviative consumption in Finland

Abstract This article tackles empirically the phenomenon of mood‐alleviative consumption in Finland. In an attempt to advance consumer‐behavior theory development toward building a theory or model of mood‐alleviative consumption, empirical insights derived from Finnish consumers concerning the practices and therapeutic power of mood‐alleviative consumption activities are offered. A phenomenological analysis identified eight types of therapeutic power stemming from different mood‐alleviative consumption activities: distraction, self‐indulgence, stimulated elaboration, outcomes of mood‐alleviative activities, recharging, discharging, retreat, and activation. It was also discovered that certain mood‐alleviative consumer behaviors can be therapeutic in multiple ways simultaneously, that different persons may experience the same mood‐alleviative consumer behavior therapeutically differently, and that certain mood‐alleviative consumption activities are more typically engaged in by women, whereas certain other mood‐alleviative consumption activities are more typically pursued by men. The article is concluded by a discussion highlighting theoretical implications and suggestions for further research. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.