Dive Brief: 

• Omnicom-owned agency Sparks & Honey and tech startup Emozia is conducting a preliminary study to find out how emotions drive consumer purchases. 
• The study looks to prove that its product, Emotive Recognition Technology, could help marketers communicate brand messages based on emotions that could trigger a purchase. 
• Volunteers had their sleep patterns, buying habits, and self-reported emotions tracked for 60-days. Preliminary findings showed that consumers bought energy drinks when they are stressed or sleepy—a pretty obvious finding, but still interesting.

Dive Insight: 

It may seem like common sense that certain emotions would trigger certain purchases, but there's never been extensive data to back it up. Partly, the research is slim because the only way to determine emotions is to ask users—and self-reported data is often flawed. A formal study will help marketers understand how much of a value there is in emotional data.