Area: Behavioral Decision Making

Five open doors in various colors on a hilly grass expanse. Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

Why We Think Differently About Money Than About Probabilities

Learning gradually versus all at once and how we estimate value

Book Review / Happiness

A Method to Happiness: Tested in the Lab and in Life

Cassie Holmes’ book combines social science and personal history; jilted on the way to the altar

Hero image of a bar graph with excitedness decreasing with age as peaceful happiness increases Research Brief / Happiness

Age-Old Question: What Makes You Happy?

We define happiness differently as we age

A close-up image of the bronze Lady Justice statue Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Alcohol Use and Violent Crime: a 36% Shorter Sentence

Intoxication seems to work as an unofficial mitigating factor

Illustration of people as wind-up toys Research Brief / Retirement

Americans Sacrifice $3.4 Trillion by Claiming Social Security Too Soon

Can nudges, tailored to personality traits, persuade retirees to wait?

Illustrations of a timeline Feature / Time

An Aerial, as Opposed to Ground-Level, View of Time

A novel framework proposes to reduce angst over schedules and lives

A black and orange detour sign on a fance. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Another Political Trick? Inducing Forgetting By Mentioning Irrelevant Information

Positive views on, say, a social policy are more easily suppressed than negative ones

A composite image of a woman in the bottom left corner and three possible future versions of her in the upper part of the screen, Research Brief / AI

As AI Advances, Tools to Connect to Your Future Self Grow More Vivid and Useful

Digital twins, 30 years your senior, help weigh today’s big decisions

Search results of three different types of pink slippers Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

As Few as Three Options Can Be Too Many for Online Shoppers 

A large field experiment suggests two items is the sweet spot for converting motivated lookers into buyers

Research Question / Happiness

As Income Rises, Link Between Meaning and Happiness Weakens

Globally, lower-income people feel a stronger connection

High speed view in a tunnel Feature / Investing

At Last, the Momentum Investing Puzzle Solved?

The simplest explanation — “I can’t believe you know something I don’t” — may trump all the rest

Bored teens at a movie theater Research Brief / Education

Awards as Incentives: Sometimes They Backfire

Seeking to improve school attendance, researchers learn how some students think

Illustration of a house, cap, rings, car keys, baby crib Feature / Nudges

Behavioral Nudges Timed to Certain Days are Effective Motivator

Dates of milestones — major and minor — can spur us to action

Young Hispanic woman is getting vaccinated by a professional medical worker wearing gloves in a doctor's office Research Brief / Nudges

Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Nudges

Messages tailored to past vaccination behavior can meaningfully boost uptake for some

Reflection in the mirror of man brushing his teeth Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

Boring Tasks We Abandon Too Soon: a Method to Finish the Job

Pairing the mundane — hand washing, teeth brushing — with more engaging activities

Poster with text that reads, "colorectal cancer screening tests here" Research Brief / Nudges

Cancer-Screening Procrastination Can Be Deadly: a Nudge Lifts Compliance

At-home test for colorectal cancer delivered with a deadline