We are met daily with negative news about the state of the economy and how the world situation affects household finances.
Inflation, electricity prices and the stock market are now common topics of conversation.
But what was perhaps just a household crisis is now also a business crisis.
In September alone, around 500 limited companies went bankrupt, making the month one of the months with the most bankruptcies in 25 years.
Several companies are now warning of making lower profits in the future than they have expected.
This has caused concern to spread among companies about what the future holds, and the concern itself is worrisome, says Mouna Esmaeilzadeh, also known as Dr Mouna:
- The concern is this expectation that everything will go to hell now.
It is not certain that consumption will go down, but just the thought of it going down makes us worried.
The power of the thought is enormous, psychology drives it so that it becomes a downward spiral, says Mouna Esmaeilzadeh.
- Therefore, it is important to see things as they are and keep the reptilian brain in check.
The concern is also beginning to show in the statistics: In September, the percentage of business owners who believe in a positive development of the business during the next three-month period had decreased to 22 percent from 29 percent, according to a recent survey by SEB.
See the Ekonomibyrån's latest episode "Business i motvind" on SVT play.
CAPTION: Hear Dr Mouna talk about how our brain affects how we feel and interpret the economic crisis.
Also hear from national economist Klas Eklund about how this crisis differs from previous crises.
(From the Economic Office.)